RoShino & Ukiyet: Shino version: Romeo & Juliet
by yuni30
Summary: "Is it important that the only girl I love is our former enemy from the past? It doesn't make sense..." "Not another word, Shino! She's Kamizuru, we're Aburame! We don't mix." Gen Aburame stated coldly. Shino stood there, stunned by his fathers words.
1. Just Roming Around

**Hello people out there! This is a fanfic about Shino who, I guess, supposedly falls in love with a girl from his family's once mortal rivals That's basically it! Enjoy! Disclaimer: No I am not a talking potato! **

Shino walked forlornly through the village streets, knowing that no one really cared who he was or what he was. He was heading to meet Kurenai Sensei for the mission Squad Eight had been assigned..

He began to wonder why no girl had ever bothered him about needing a date or a boyfriend. _That's right... No one who is female actually likes a bug tamer really in _this _village! _He looked up hearing someone emit a small a small yelp of terror.

Too Shino's surprise it was a young kenoichi he hadn't seen before in the village. She had dark brown hair with maroon eyes, wearing a black T-shirt & running shorts. She was also a Leaf ninja because of her headband. The Leaf headband was all Shino needed to see in order for him to realize that a comrade was in danger.

Standing before her at the very spot they were to meet their teacher was a muscular man a foot or so taller than Shino himself. He wasn't at all happy & seemed to have a bone to pick with the girl.

"Heh! You think you can get away with stealing from me, do ya? Well let's see how you feel once I steal your strength by pounding the crud out of you!" He balled up his fist in a tight angered way then began to throw it down towards her.

Shino reacted quickly by calling up his insects to stop the man. With out delay the small little beings flew out of his jacket sleeve, then flew in a swift but unnoticeable way towards the cruel perpetrator. They stopped his hand just an inch above her face.

"May I ask a question", Shino began to ask. "What has she done that's so wrong?" Shino stood there with his hands in his pockets posing as if he were both interested & serious about what he was doing. The man gawked at him then tried to raise his left fist but found that insects had stopped that hand, too.

"She stole an important item from me &-"

Shino cut him off. "Important item", he asked & turned his hooded head towards the stunned girl. "May I see it?" The girl looked slowly at Shino, then looked at the man fearfully. She didn't dare say a word in her position.

Shino walked up to her, then knelt beside her. Then in the most comforting tone he could muster up, "As long as my insects are securing his arms he won't hurt you. Is there a possibility to show me the item?"

She nodded in reply then pulled out a scroll. Shino unrolled it. "This scroll..." The scroll he was looking at contained all of the most tragic events in Leaf Village history! He looked at the man & then decided it would be best to take the scroll back to the Hokage then have the man arrested for stealing Top secret items.

He called up more insects & had them entangle him so he wouldn't break free. He began to walk away with him when The girl spoke in a hushed voice.

"Thank you. Are you Shino Aburame of the Aburame clan?" Shino stopped suddenly. _Strange... She knows who I am. _

"Yes, what of it?" Shino turned his head a little to make sure the girl knew he was listening.

"I am Ukiyokou Camizuru. You fought one of my clan members once. The only reason why I'm here is because my branch of the family wanted to get away from the hidden Stone Village for a while." She smirked a little. She really didn't have any reason to hate the Aburame. Yes they beat her clan during the great wars, but her branch didn't care about that. Besides, she was a sucker for men in high-color jackets.

Shino turned his head & continued walking. _No wonder she looked so familiar. A branch of the Camizuru clan is staying in the Leaf Village._ "Nice to meet you, Ukiyokou." & thus he continued walking to hand the villain over to Lady Tsunade.

**End note: Yo! Liked it? How about reviewing? **

**Man it's only 10:58 &m I'm tired! Help?**

**Hopefully I'll have another chapter for you guys hopefully tomorrow. **

**So don't get too sad... ^.^**


	2. Remembered Then Forgotten

**Heyllo again! Less tired now! Maybe cuz cross country track was Friday. **

**Any who R & R (Rate & review!) ! Disclaimer: If I owned Shino & knew how to build a robot with his abilities & sentient thoughts you would see a lot of them around! Cuz hey Shino needs to be seen EVERY WHERE! And if I were a talking potato I wouldn't be able to use the genius piece of equipment known as the computer.**

The day so far was going good for the possibly youngest Aburame in the Hidden Leaf. No one new for sure if Shino had any younger siblings. He stopped a to-be enemy of the Village from taking a top secret document to much stronger enemies out there, & helped a young girl that seemed interested in being friends with him though his family had beaten hers in the past. He didn't seem to show any signs of it, but he was happy with himself today.

He walked back to the spot where he was to meet Kurenai Sensei. To his surprise Ukiyokou was standing there waiting for him to return.

"'You can't find anything else to do so you decide to wait for the most boring person in the village to show back up?'" He stared at her for a moment then went into thought. _Why would she wait for me when she could be off doing more _entertaining _things than wait for the most serious person in the village to come back to the exact same place? _

"Because..." Her voice broke his train of thought. "I think your less boring than you realize. Your thoughtful, observant... & caring!"

Shino had to suppress a blush. No one said anything much about his ideal character before like that. Most of the time it was either he was boring, dealt with creepy bugs, too silent, too smart, & complained many a time. But this girl complimented him instead of ridicule.

"You really think I'm... 'caring'?" He knew he was the first two but he didn't know about the last.

"Of course! You value your teammates, you help out a lot on missions even when they aren't really assigned to you, & you always know what's best for people & nature!" Shino was stunned. For once someone who wasn't being forced to be around him just because they were part of Squad Eight actually said something other than ridicule.

_Well, Shino... it seems you have made a friend without having any trouble what so ever. And, if I do develop feelings for her, there may be a chance we can be together..._ "I have to get some items be back in a bit!"

Shino walked over to the tree deep in thought after she left. _But why _me_? Of all the people why _me_? _ Naruto walked by babbling about needing another teammate for a mission, barely noticing Shino. This stirred up new thoughts in his mind. _I'm standing here in plain sight & Naruto barely notices I'm here. Still forgotten... he needs to remember his comrades. _

"Long time, no see, Naruto..." Shino walks out into more plain view.

"Huh?" Naruto looks over at Shino unaware of his old comrade. "Who are you?"

"It's me..." _You'd think he'd recognize my voice at least..._ Naruto ran up to Shino to get a better view of his face. Noting that his face was partially covered he sent an insect out as a subtle hint.

"Oh yeah! Oh, yeah your uh... uuummm..." _Who is he?_ Naruto starts to think but Shino interrupts his thoughts.

"I know it's been a while..."

"but you should at least try to remember your friends..." Shino continued.

"Or else it just hurts the other person's feelings." Shino stated finally.

Naruto gasped. "Whoa... That voice & that weird way of talking... Could it really be? Yeah! Shino, right" He half exclaims, half asks finally remembering the young bug tamer.

"It finally came to you huh-?"

"How am I supposed to recognize you with your face all covered up like that?"

All of a sudden Kiba lands on the ground with a large crash, riding on some white furry beast. Naruto braced him self as dust flied every where & the ground shook.

Kiba looked over to his long time comrade. "What's up? You're early Shino!" Meanwhile Shino was almost ignoring them both.

The only parts of the conversation he caught was Naruto asking if it was really Kiba & if the large white dog was Akamaru. _Why am I always forgotten...?_

"You remember, Shino-?" Naruto turned to talk to him but he was sulking for not being recognized right away.

"You remembered Kiba right away... Didn't you Naruto?" He was a little hunched in a lonely sulking position.

Naruto heard a familiar, faint, female gasp. He ran to the corner where Hinata was hiding. "I thought that was you, Hinata what's up?" To Shino's knowledge, Hinata, as usual fainted when she saw him close up.

"Hey, you guys, can I barrow one of you for a team member?"

"'Fraid you caught us at a bad time. We just got assigned a new mission ourselves! Once Kurenai Sensei shows up, we're on our way!"

All Shino heard afterwards was mentioning taking Akamaru & Kiba needing him for ninjutsu. He was far to hurt to really listen & observe them.

"Well, Shino? You wanna... he he...?"

"I see you recognized Hinata right away, too, Naruto."

"Ok! Forget it! Some friends you are!"

Shino immediately dived right back into thought about why he was always forgotten. He looked up at the sky, vacant & blue, just like him.

**Wow... tied that in to a Naruto Shippuden eppie. Yay Me! Besides I gotta have something epic to start it off... Whooo! I may get done blabbing so I can get some sleep now! Buhbye! -.^y ~Yuni~**


	3. Ninja ReVisit

**Heylo! What's up? I'm gonna make this short: Disclaimer: Why do people keep calling me a talkin potato! Stop it! Stop it! **

Shino leaned against the tree once more listening to Kiba & Hinata talk about how much they've changed. Kiba started to point out how much Hinata hadn't changed & then mocked her by acting as if Naruto was right there. Shino noticed that it sent Hinata running straight past him & yet she didn't even say a word. Not to mention the fact that he was being left out of the conversation again.

"You guys...", Shino began.

"Huh", they both asked.

"...You should be aware of my presence by now...", Shino continued.

"After all, I am part of Squad Eight as well." Shino finally said in a sulking tone.

"Oh Shino...", Hinata began.

"Again with the sulking...", Kiba finished for Hinata

"Alright! Are you kiddies ready for your mission", Anko Sensei asked. Apparently Anko Sensei was substituting Kurenai. This had happened to Squad Eight in the past, but they were all puzzled for the sudden change of teachers.

"Hey! We're not little kids anymore Anko Sensei", Kiba proclaimed.

"Yes... According to Hinata, we're more mature now, right?"

"Shino", Hinata half pleaded, half asked.

"Hey, I'm just here to drop her off!" Anko motioned to the young girl now sporting in a lovely Camizuru style kimono.

"Hi. Wait a sec... I know you!" The girl pointed at Shino. "Shino Aburame, if you don't remember, I'm-"

"Ukiyokou... So your joining Squad Eight for the mission?"

Kiba & Hinata went into a stupor at the fact Shino already knew her. "Uh... Ye-"

"Of course she is! Why else would I bring her?" Anko rapped her arm around Ukiyokou's neck in a playful manner & rubbed her fist in her hair.

"Ack! Lemme' go!" Ukiyokou began to squirm out of Anko's grip to get away from the psycho case known as Anko Mitarashi.

"That's enough, Anko." They looked up in surprise to see that Kurenai Sensei had come to lead them on their mission! "Guy's, I would like to introduce you to Ukiyokou Camizuru, from the Hidden Stone Village." She paused. "Shino, though I know you well enough to that you'll keep from stirring up trouble, I suggest you keep your bea-"

"I have nothing wrong with that. After all, in order for a mission to be a success, we need to work as a team..."

Kurenai stopped immediately, receiving her most analytical pupil's message loud & clear. "Alright, then. Here's the mission: We are going to run a security detail on a cargo ship for the land of the sea, just in case any ninja decide to show up. After that we're going to run & help this farmer get his place straightened up out on the mainland."

They looked around & found Anko was know where to be seen. This was better off for the team because of the fact Anko was such a loose cannon.

"Is that understood", Keranai Sensei asked.

"Understood", the foursome respectively responded.

"Alright. We leave... Now!"

They began ninja sprinting towards the village gate, where they would truly begin there mission. When they got there they stopped to check & see if there were any missing teammates & all the equipment for their mission was in order.

"Everything & everyone here?"

"I'm fine", Kiba chirped.

"So am I", Hinata answered quietly.

"I'm ready & willing" Ukiyokou proclaimed brightly.

"Everything is here. The same goes for the team members", Shino stated accurately.

They set off on their mission, outside of the village.

**Liked it? I pulled the part with the land of the sea cuz I was thinkin about it at the time.**

**Anywho... R&R! XD**


	4. Traveling

**Well here we have it! Chappie Four1 Yay! **

**I would like to thank**___**Mi3Star**_** for reviewing! I'm half doing this for you Mi! But on the other note I'm also doing this 'cause I know Shino needs some love! Disclaimer: Do I look like a root of a plant that is turned into French fires at a fast food restaurant?**

They covered a good amount of distance before lunch. They stopped in a clearing & took out the special ninja ramen used for missions & started a fire to heat it up.

They all sat together around the small pot: Kiba next to Hinata, Hinata next to Ukiyokou, Ukiyokou next to Shino, and Shino next to Kurenai.

"Hey, wait…." Kiba began. They directed their attention towards him. "Why are we waiting around for the food? Doesn't the ship leave possibly tomorrow?"

Shino took this into consideration along with the rest of the team.

Kurenai was to first to say anything. "Well… The ship is scheduled for it to run four day's from now. Since the demon of the sea was befriended & taken to the Leaf Village, There shouldn't be a reason to bump it to a day or so from now."

"Thus meaning we have all the time we need & then some." Shino stated with a sense of finality.

Shino sensed Ukiyokou had left. But for what, he didn't know.

All of a sudden, the bushes rustled. Kurenai drew a kunai knife from her weapons holster, ready to defend her team if necessary, while Hinata did a series of hand signs & used Byakugan to see their "foe".

Shino sensed something was a-miss. He stared at the bushes hard. _Ukiyokou?_

Kiba just sat there. He did nothing but sit there and smirk.

"Wait, that's not an enemy…" Hinata started.

"I knew that already. The person the scent belongs to is-"

Ukiyokou jumped out of the bushes nearly startling Kurenai Sensei, & causing Shino to look at her with a questioning stare. "Hey. Sorry guys I just so happened to find some herbs. Don't worry, I made sure they weren't poisonous. I ate a few of them to be sure." With that she added to the pot of ramen.

Soon the scent of oregano & basil wafted through the air. The ramen was ready. They took out their disposable dish ware & dished up.

The ramen was exquisite, thanks to Ukiyokou finding the herbs. They chowed down till the pot was empty. Even the ever so scentless food lover gave it a passing score when it came to taste. Yes, Shino found it a delectable dish as well.

Since the bowls were environmentally friendly, they buried them in the ground. They cleaned up the pot & packed it away for when they would use it next time they stopped.

They covered another good amount of distance before sundown. They stopped in another clearing & pitched the tent.

According to Ukiyokou, everyone was worn out from traveling almost nonstop except for lunch. No matter how close they were to the seaside docking town, they were going to rest.

**Next is Chappie Five? OMG! It's going along quickly! Next one may have a little mushiness between the lovely Uki & the serious Aburame. XD I'm nuts, if you haven't guessed by now. Well… buh-bye! Buh-bye now! Buh-bye now! Buh-bye!**


	5. Ukiyokou's Nightmares

**Heylo again people! If you are reading my story, will you please make yourself known by reviewing & adding my story to your faves or something like that? I would be a happy writer.**

**If you have already made yourself known, you know who you are. Thank you! This story is brought to you by: The Just Now Made Up International Shino Fan Club! (T.J.N.M.U.I.S.F.C. for short! And literally I just now made it up! XXD) **

**Disclaimer: No, I am not served with sour cream! I'm not a sugar starch! Stop asking! **

They, once again, sat around a pot of ramen with a sense of accomplishment. The ramen was delicious again because of Ukiyokou's finding of herbs at lunch.

Not long after they headed to bed. Shino, noting it was a warm night, took off his hooded jacket before falling asleep, leaving him wearing his usual black high-collared one.

Ukiyokou began tossing & turning in her sleep. "No please! Spare me", she groaned.

She continued doing so until she bolted upright & emitted a blood curdling scream. Shino had already foreseen her doing that, for her constant moaning & thrashing had woke up the exhausted bug tamer.

"What is it, Ukiyokou?" Shino inquired. Though his glasses denied her a view of his eyes, she could tell Shino was looking at her from the side.

"Huh! What is it! Are we being attacked!" Kiba said with a start.

Hinata did a brief hand sign. "Byakugan!" She looked around. Nothing. "No. There's no one around but Kurenai Sensei, who is in her separate tent."

As if on cue, Kurenai Sensei entered their tent. "Is something wrong? Is anyone hurt!" She looked over to Ukiyokou who was now in tears.

Shino had sat up, knowing that he was probably going to be awake for a while.

He placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "What happened? You should feel safe about telling your teammates anything. Why? Because, if there is a problem with a teammate then the rest of the team can help."

She began to stutter. "W-well… I had a dream. It w-was about these people. They were in black coats with red clouds on them. Th-the rest of the team was unconscious or away from my present location. They came at m-me. They tried to... They-"

She broke down instantly into a mass of sobs. Kurenai knelt in front of her. "It's ok. It's ok. It was a dream. It never happened. You're safe, Ukiyokou." Kurenai ran a hand through her chocolate colored hair.

Her sobbing gradually quieted. She went back to sleep.

Kurenai stood & left the tent.

"Hey isn't a black coat with red clouds on it the uniform of the Akatsuki?" Kiba wondered curiously.

"It would seem like that. But what would cause her to have nightmares like that?" Shino looked down in thought.

Hinata looked over to their new comrade. "I hope she'll be ok."

"Well, in any case we should get some sleep. Umm, Shino? You gonna be up for a while?" Kiba laid down & rolled onto his left side.

"Yes… She may need guarding."

"…"

"Kiba?" Shino looked over to Kiba who was now fast asleep.

XxX A few hours later… XxX

Ukiyokou bolted up-right about to scream again when a familiar hand grabbed her mouth, keeping her from yelling out.

She began to panic & opened her mouth to bite the hand when she heard Shino say her name.

"Ukiyokou… It's ok. I only did that to keep from everyone else waking up."

"Shino… I'm starting to think these dreams will keep returning. Do you mind if I snuggle up against you? I think I'd feel safer." She looked over to Shino.

He looked over to her questioningly. _I'm not a snuggling type… But if it will keep her from having nightmares, I'll have to live with it._ He thought.

"I guess…"

She moved over to Shino & snuggled up against his side. There seemed to be a form of movement at his side. Weather it was pulse or insects she couldn't be sure.

She was also still tense, which also made it feel like it was her body that was causing the movement.

She thought again about the dream. The thought made her skin crawl, not that it didn't already with honeybees. Though, her bees usually stayed quite still at this time of night unless there were fights to be fought.

"Uki… think of something other than the dream. Your shivering is stirring up my insects." It was true. Ukiyokou was shivering violently.

Shino's insects stirred when there was too much continuous movement, especially if it was from Shino himself. Ukiyokou's shivering equaled to that of Shino moving, himself.

_Wow… For someone so distant, he sure does care about my well being! _She began to think. She shifted a little causing the insects in Shino to stir once more.

"Uki, rest", Shino commanded while grimacing at the movement of his insects.

_Gee, no wonder he always has a scowl on his face! All that pain of those bugs moving around must be horrible for him._ She made a slight movement with her hand, nudging his side. The Kikaichu beetles stirred again, causing him to grimace once more.

"Uki… The insects don't put me in pain, but they bring a certain amount of discomfot. Even you, a member of the Kamizuru, would know that…" Her eyes widened. How did he know what she was thinking! Was it her hand movement that gave it away?

What ever the case, it would have to wait till morning.

**Aaawwww! Uki (If you haven't noticed; only Shino really calls her that as a hint that he likes her!) slept next to Mr. Serious Aburame! So sweet! **

**Ummm… This was a long chapter! Wow! *Wipes forehead* Phew… Wow… *feels light headed* Somebody catch me! Aah! *faints***

**Huh! What? O.o OM-FRIKIN-G LONG CHAPTER? *Faints again* *.*o_o*.* Help?**


	6. Disagreement

**Hey pals of the real world who read my crazy story! By the wayzies! My story is rated _T_ for _Teen_ meaning: There shall be no sexual scenes regarding Shino & Uki! That is all.**

**On another note! Please enjoy the story! I like it when people enjoy my stories. It's what keeps me writing!**

When they awoke, they found that Ukiyokou was missing again! Shino had been far to asleep to notice she was gone. He began to feel like he had failed the team.

"If I had kept a better watch over her, she would still be here."

"Shino, It wasn't your fault. Listen, we'll find her. For all we know she could have gotten up early to find some grub", Kiba announced encouragingly while sniffing out her sent.

Hinata was using her Byakugan when she spotted someone sporting a similar outfit to Shino's. "Hey guys, I think the leader of the Aburame clan is heading this way!"

"_Sniff, sniff... _Hey Shino, it's your dad! And wait... huh? What's this? _Sniff, sniff..._ No way! He's carrying Ukiyokou! Their scents are mixed together." Kiba turned to look at Shino who was now feeling a tad lightheaded from the fact that there was a chance of Ukiyokou being alive. He was extremely worried about her.

Shino sent out his insects to great his dad. He didn't doubt Kiba for a second. The Inuzuka Clan's sense of smell was only second to the legendary bikochu beetle used to follow enemy ninja every where.

"So, Master Gen is on his way here, hmm? You think he was on a mission of some kind & happened to just be in the area", Kurenai asked with a sense of curiosity.

"Maybe. Or he has news from the Fifth Hokage about our mission", Shino stated as an insect landed on his outstretched hand.

The man known as Gen Aburame jumped down from a nearby branch, carrying Ukiyokou on his shoulder. He sported a beige Aburame coat, brown earthy colored pants, & the trademark Aburame glasses with a small decorated tassel hanging from their frame.

"Ah.. So this is where you stayed for the night. I found this poor exhausted girl lying around nearby here. She was ambushed pretty easily." Gen Aburame set Ukiyokou down.

"Ambushed", they all asked in shock.

"Yes. She was ambushed by a bunch of Sound Shinobi. I fought them off before they could kill her. Luckily for her, she sustained a much more minimal amount of damage than I." He motioned to the gashes & cuts he had received from their attacks. "In any case. She needs medical treatment." He knelt & began to dress her wounds with gauze & some medical ointment.

"Master Gen, shouldn't you take care of your wou-", Kurenai was cut off by Gen.

"Bug handlers tend to heal fast & the wounds aren't that deep to worry about bleeding to death." He continued dressing her wounds when he noticed something odd. Some of the more minor ones were already healed. "That's rather peculiar. It is said that only insect tamers, such as the Kamizuru & the Aburame Clan, & jinchuriki have such a fast rate of repair."

Kiba rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you see..."

Hinata was nervous. She didn't want to lie to the head of the Aburame Clan. "There's a good reason for that..."

Shino looked down, almost not wanting to admit the truth to his dad. "It's simple, actually. Just ask who she is..." He looked at Kurenai, who was in disbelief that her brightest pupil had passed over the job of telling the truth to his father to her.

She looked down, looking back into her memory. "Well... It started when a family of ninja moved to the Hidden Leaf. They came from the Hidden Stone Village. They said they were here to get away from the all the frustration of being the lowest, most humiliated clan in their village. Their daughter was already a ninja so..."

She looked up with certainty in her eyes. "They transferred their daughter into the Leaf's ninja training program. She passed all the tests. Even as so far as her clone jutsu. Though the people were baffled by the way she made clones of herself. She used a honey like substance for it. But nevertheless it was a clone."

Gen Aburame made a subtle nod. "I see... I thought I recognized her clothing, though I wasn't sure. She is... Kamizuru, is she not?"

"That's an affirmative. Her name is Ukiyokou Kamizuru. According to her, her branch of the Kamizuru Clan is the more peace loving part of the family. Apparently they went into hiding or became a nomadic clan," Shino stated with a tone that hinted that he wasn't finished.

"The ones who weren't of the main part of it obviously despised the fighting between villages. Though most hated the fighting, the ones who preferred to fight went off & joined evil organizations like the Akatsuki. Since the Leaf Village isn't an offensive village, it would make sense that the more or less peaceful part of their family moved here." Now Shino was done.

"Hey Shino I saw the look you gave when I said your dad was bringing her here! You like her don't you?" Shino's face turned just as red as it possibly could at Kiba's remark.

"I only see her as a teammate, Kiba." Kiba turned away from Shino, crossing his arms over his chest to accent his disbelief.

"Right... Then explain the fact that your face turned as red as Hinata's when Naruto's around, hmm?"

_Inner Shino: "Kiba! Shut up, unless you want to die!" He sent out imaginary insects towards an imaginary Kiba Inuzuka. _

Shino began to fume a little about the matter while nobody was looking.

"Shino I must deny you of having any emotional affairs with anyone from the Kamizuru! They are dangerous!" Gen had finished cleaning her wounds.

Shino was stunned. Not only stunned but shocked that his father would go down to judging people by their family. Some people didn't like the Aburame, but they didn't care if the Aburame remained in the village.

"Hugn? What happened?" Ukiyokou sat up rubbing her head.

"Uki!" Shino ran up to her where she was laying only for his path to be blocked by his dad.

"'Uki'? That's that then. You're coming back to the village with me, Shino." Gen turned to leave.

"No..."

"'No'? Shino Aburame! How dare you! You'd betray your own family?" Gen turned around looking more angry than serious this time.

"It's not that... The team needs me. I can't just abandon my teammates. It would be... unjust."

"Excuses! Everyone in the Kamizuru clan is filled with hatred towards the Aburame. Every one of them!"

"But-!"

"Shino!" He turned around before Shino could say a word.

Shino lowered his head & followed his father back to the Leaf Village. He was heart broken.

**Wow! Dramatic ending _this _chapter. So... I ain't done yet! This is only the beginning of a wondrous story! Filled with romance... adventure... & drama... & romance! I know I said romance twice, cause that's one of the themes of this story!**

**I'm secretly jealous of Uki. She's my made up character... & I'm jealous of her... Now tell me, people, what's wrong with that? It doesn't seem right! *Covers eyes* It is so wrong in my eyes! Aaaahh!**


	7. Apart From Each Other

**Heyya! Chappie seven being shot straight at ya! You know the routine! Rate & _Review_ peoples! -.^y **

Shino ninja sprinted along with his father. He looked down in sadness which seemed to be his only companion.

_If I'm not there & the __Akatsuki__ do attack Uki… Who will save her? _He looked over to his furious father & clan leader. _If my dad, the leader of this family, the very person who taught me not to judge by ones' family, won't let me return to the team to help them then he's not much of a father then is he? I want to keep my teammates safe… not just my teammates, but _Uki _safe._

XxXvv Back with Squad Eight... vvXxX

They boarded a ferry to reach Mother Island . Uki was thinking about Shino & she couldn't stop thinking about the poor heart broken hearted Aburame.

When they went to speak with the man in charge the shipment they found that it had moved to two days from then because of the rise in crimes against them from the Akatsuki. The day that had just started was obviously counted as one of those two days.

The Akatsuki had heard of the demon of the sea a little too late & kept relentlessly searching for her. They even went to the measure of destroying cargo ships to find the already taken care of the demon of the sea.

When they had left she passed something familiar. "Shino?" She walked up to the familiar "thing". She placed a hand on the shoulder of the coat but realized it was nothing more than a rain coat hanging to dry.

"C'mon, Ukiyokou! Focus! Shino's all the way in the Leaf Village ," Kiba shouted.

"I know. But, Kiba, I keep feeling like he'll return." She looked down sadly.

"Shino can be adamant when it comes to things he wants & things he doesn't want. Trust me, this one time he was saying how it was pointless to try to-"

"Kiba, we all know the story… But please don't bring up something like that at this time." Kurenai didn't want to go back to when Yakumo had shown her power. How strong that girl had been...

_Shino..._

XxXvv Back at the Leaf Village that night... vvXxX

Shino stood on top of the cliff where the Hokage faces were carved. He missed Ukiyokou greatly & for once that was the only other thing he cared about besides insects.

"You know..." Shino froze. He knew that voice. It was his distant cousin, Shirei, the ever so emotional Aburame. She displayed more emotions than anybody in the clan for the simple reason that she was adopted.

"I had a boyfriend once, Shino. I pretended to be someone else because I "loved" him. When he found out about my- I mean our clan ability, he freaked out & moved to another town!" She giggled as she sat down on the ledge of the Hokage rock.

"Shirei, that only made things worse..." He looked down at the young adopted Aburame. Like the rest of the clan, she wore the trademark Aburame coat & glasses due to her being infused with the clan's insects.

"And how did you know I was thinking about a girl that I actually like," He inquired.

"A little dragonfly told me..." Shirei stood quietly, then turned with a big smile on her face. "So what's her naaaame?" She clasped her hands together in front of her & began happily turning in a sort of half swaying, half turning motion with an eager look on her face.

"..." Shino wasn't going to say anything!

"Come on, Shino! I heard she's pretty & deals with Honey Bees!"

Shino gave a questioning look. "How did you know the girl I like is Kamizuru?"

"There's only one family that are ninja that just moved here! They're Kamizuru & I heard my fellow Anbu Black Ops mention them." Shino looked at her even more quizzically.

"Fine... You win, Shirei. Her name is Ukiyokou. She's not like the rest of the Kamizuru. She as a heart..."

Shino heard a squeal of delight. Shirei was about to run & tell it to the world like she usually did, yet she kept the top secret stuff to her self. "Shirei, never tell anyone about this! Treat it like it's one of the Leaf Village's most important secrets of all."

"Fine... I won't." _But I really want to!_ She ninja sprinted down to where she usually stayed.

Shino sat down on the ledge & soon fell asleep there with only thoughts of Ukiyokou swimming through his mind.

XxXvv Back with Squad Eight... vvXxX **(What? You thought I forgot about them?)**

Ukiyokou laid in bed awake thinking about Shino. Oh, how she missed his reedy voice... His serious, yet caring tone when he asked if there was something wrong.

She tried to go to sleep but, no matter what her longing for Shino to return kept her awake.

Her bed room door creaked open. She jumped out of bed arming herself with a kunai knife in order to defend herself from attackers.

The two figures in the door way were Hinata & Kurenai. Ukiyokou sat back down on her bed, fealing a lot safer.

"You aren't asleep yet, Ukiyokou?" Kuenai knelt beside her & placed a hand on Ukiyokou's forehead. "No fever... then what's keeping you- What's that?" Kurenai noticed a ripped piece of paper beeing held by Ukiyokou.

Kurenai & Hinata peered over Ukiyokou's shoulder. It was a more resent picture of Shino torn from a bingo book. Apparently, she had snook into her evil cousin's house & ripped a page out of their Bingo book. That's how she knew who Shino was when they met. She admired the Aburame Clan's bravery.

"Ah... You miss Shino, don't you, Ukiyokou." Ukiyokou nodded with her lip quivering.

"It's ok! We all have someone we're worried about & admire," Hinata said encouragingly.

"B-but... What if my dream becomes real &-"

"Ukiyokou, if it does, then I'm sure someone will try to protect you. Don't worry!" Kurenai & Hinata stood, ready to go back to their rooms.

"Kurenai Sensei, what if Shino does come back & ends up dying trying to protect me? Then it will be my fault that he died!" Ukiyokou cried for a minute or so.

Kurenai ran her hand through Ukiyokou's dark hair. "Shh... Shino would give anything to make sure that his teammates are protected. He even helped Sasuke by fighting Kankuro in his place. He'd die for his friends, family, team, & his village. That's just how Shino is. To tell you the truth everyone in the Leaf Village would do that."

Ukiyokou looked up at Kurenai. "Thank you, Sensei."

"You're welcome, Ukiyokou. I'm sure Shino wouldn't want you to think about it as your fault." With that Kurenai & Hinata left to go back to bed.

Ukiyokou laid there drifting to sleep with sweet dreams of Shino.

* * *

They awoke that morning, ready to set off with the fleet.

Ukiyokou was sad that Shino wasn't around.

XxXvv Back at the Leaf Village... vvXxX

Shino awoke to the warmth of the sun. He noticed he had slept on top of the cliff with the Hokage faces carved into them that night.

His dad was probably looking for him. But Shino began to mull it over with himself. He could sense that sometime that day Ukiyokou would be in trouble. He got up & left the village with out any other thoughts what so ever.

**Wow... would you look at that folks! Longest chappie I've ever done on here so far! Woooo! Well buhbye people! ~Yuni~**


	8. The Lovesick Insect Guardian Returns!

**Hey people! Lookit! Lookit! A new Chapter! XD This one lasted about four pages on OpenOffice!( The worst writing program EVAAAARRR!) **

**Woohoo! Yeah! If ya care, wave ya hands in da air! Kay... that was a random thought... If you think it wasn't random you can think about the comment if you want. If you do just ignore it! I do dat a lot.**

Shino didn't care anymore about what his father would say. He was going to defend his team no matter what.

With his determination, he ninja sprinted through the dense forest & reached the docking town in half the time it took for the whole team. Now all he had to do was get across to Mother Island.

XxXvv Squad Eight...vvXxX

They were sailing out to the Land of Water. Their vessel wasn't anything fancy. It was basically a small sailboat. It would take half a day to reach the Land of Water.

Soon they were far from the port & Mother Island.

"Ukiyokou! I'm picking up a strange scent. It's all jumbled together with a whole other group!" Ukiyokou looked up in surprise. Kiba turned to her in acknowledgement "Well, what do you make of it? You think it could be an enemy ninja?"

"Well we shall see..." She raised her left arm. "Honey Be Jutsu!" Honey bees flew out of her kimono dress sleeves.

XxXvv Back with Shino... vvXxX

He practically ninja sprinted across the water with dazzling speed. He wasn't going to waste a second! Ukiyokou could be in danger so time was of the essence.

He noticed an insect was flying his way. _A_ _honey bee... Uki. _The insect made a round about turn & headed back in the direction it came.

He continued sprinting with out a word. He was going to defend his team no matter what.

XxXvv Back with Squad Eight vvXxX

Ukiyokou's honey bee came back to her with shocking information. She let out a gasp. "Shino! He's running in our direction! He's going to help us! I know it!" She was ecstatic.

"Wow! That's a new one for Shino. Disobeying orders... It feels strange to know that Shino would do something like that." Kiba looked down in wonder. It _was_ strange. Shino never disobeyed anything!

Kurenai looked over to the rest of the Squad. "Shino has reasons for everything he does. The reason he's disobeying his own father is because he either, A: Senses danger & fears for the teams safety, B: Wants to keep Ukiyokou safe from harm, or C: Both."

They all looked over to their Sensei, agreeing quietly that it was in Shino's nature to protect the team from harm.

Ukiyoukou, how ever, hoped that Shino wasn't going to die _if_ they were attacked.

All of a sudden the waves got rougher. A gigantic shark crunched the hull of the boat. Luckily there were a few rocks beside them so they unloaded the payment they were escorting off on to there. Hinata guarded the crates, leaving Kurenai, Kiba, & Ukiyokou to fight their new found foe.

Out of the water rose Kisame, wearing the Akatsuki uniform. The ocean might as well have been considered his home, when it came to his shark like features & water based ninja abilities.

Out of nowhere appeared a young man to the left of Kisame with pale blond hair, also proudly wearing the uniform of the Akatsuki.

Ukiyokou let out a gasp. She recognized the face of the blond.

"Uncle Oujouyue? You're part of the Akatsuki?" It was true. Her uncle was a devious sort, but he didn't really show signs of being evil all the way through. In fact he was more on the side of the peace loving part of the family more than anything else.

Oujouyue Kamizuru let out a low & low sinister chuckle. "Oh, Ukiyo... You have so much to learn. By joining the Akatsuki, we can bring peace by destroying this world & starting anew."

Kiba turned in surprise to Ukiyokou. "Wait! You know this guy? Just whose side are you on anyway?"

"Kiba, now is not the time to be irrational! Oh, & by the way, I'm on the same side as Shino, you dingy!" Kiba stared at her raising an eyebrow. _Dingy? Where'd she get that from?_

When they looked up they noticed Kisame & Oujouyue had left the spot they were standing. Ukiyokou found that Oujouyue had placed a kunai knife to her neck. Kisame was having the time of his life battling Kurenai & Kiba.

"Uncle Oujou...," She said full of sadness. "...I learned from the best!" She did a hand sign & crumbled into honey. Oujouyue gasped in shock. With out warning a series of explosions happened on his back. He recoiled from the severe attack. He had failed to note her honey bees clinging to him.

"What? Why you little... Take this!" Oujouyue sent out several bees. Half of them prepared to shoot stingers at her. The other half ready to plaster her with honey.

She knew this technique, so she had to choose carefully. Then she remembered her training. There was a jutsu she was working on so... "Alright..." She preformed a quick series of hand signs. "Honey clone Jutsu!"

Bees flew out of her dress, squirting honey & molding it into a ready to fight clone. "Heh! What's that going to do for you?" She jumped out of the way just as the clone swiped at the bees & was immediately covered in honey. At this the clone crumbled into back into dried honey. Sadly enough, the rest of them were the stinging type.

The bees shot at her. She seemed to dodge every one. Shockingly, she was literally stabbed in the back by her "uncle". He beat her down with no mercy. Her body ached & somehow she lost consciousness.

Kiba had just about nailed Kisame with his Fang over Fang attack when he noticed Ukiyokou sinking into the water. "Ukiyokou!"

"'No you don't!" A form of a wall of water rose before Kiba. He was trapped & his foe was intent on killing him.

Kurenai noticed this, too. She began to go after her when she was confronted by Oujouyue. "She's as good as dead! Try to save her & you'll end up in even worse condition than she."

Hinata wanted to help but she had to protect the cargo. She began to weigh her options.

All of a sudden a hand reached out of the water on to the rock Hinata was standing on. Hinata gasped. _A water clone made by Kisame? _She looked at it more closely. No. It was a pale skin colored hand followed by a pale forest green jacket sleeve. She searched her memory.

_Generally the Chunin & Jonin vests have no sleeves so it can't be Iruka Sensei. Besdes he's in the Leaf Village…_ "Hinata…" The voice was reedy, quiet, & threatening, all the trademarks of the analytical bug lover of her team.

_Shino? _She looked over to see the young bug tamer struggle onto the rock with Ukiyokou on his back. Hinata lifted Ukiyokou off of Shino & placed it on the available space there was on the moist, yet hard ocean plateau.

"She suffered… quite amount of injury. We have to revive her… before it's too late," Shino said in between gasps of air. He took a while to get himself back in order while Hinata did her best pump the water out of the lucky honey bee handler.

"Oh, no! She stopped breathing," Hinata began to panic, suddenly. Shino looked up in shock. He hurried to Ukiyokou's side. He placed his ear against her chest to see how accurate Hinata was. She was right unfortunately.

Shino had gone into his usual "protect his teammates" mode. But this time it was with a more sense of loss than usual. He lowered his collar quickly & began to resuscitate her. It was either live with the guilty fact that he let the only person who truly liked him die, or look like someone madly in love, which he was.

In the midst of Kurenai annoying the living daylights out of Oujouyue Kamizuru with Genjutsu; & apparently he had depleted most of his chakra beating up Ukiyokou, so bees were out of the question; poor Kiba & Akamaru being drowned to death by Kisame, & Hinata carefully guarding the crates if any attacks should head astray, Shino managed to revive Ukiyokou.

She came back into consciousness. Shino had removed himself from over her body since seeing her eyes had partly opened. "Sh-Shino?" Shino nodded his head. He had forgotten to pull the hood back on & had also forgotten to pull up his jacket coat, so he was a tad unrecognizable from his usual fashion.

"Welcome back… Uki." The way he said that shocked even Hinata. It seemed from his tone that there were tears of joy behind the glasses. But it was to good to be true.

Kurenai had beaten Oujouyue. He was sinking into the water. The wall surrounding Kiba was lowered. You could see where some of Kisame's hits had hit home. He clutched his arm in pain. Kisame looked over to Hinata, Kurenai, Ukiyokou, & Shino.

"What? That bee brat is alive? Wait a second… _He_ wasn't there before! And their leader… I thought Oujouyue had taken care of her!" He growled angrily. He would beat them all to find the demon of the ocean.

**Wow... Make that five pages... The next chapter may have one of our love birds nearly die. But don't worry, I don't intend on killing anyone except for made up bad dudes! Course if I had to kill someone right now it would be Ukiyokou cuz she's with my dream boyfriend... Shino! **

**I love that creep. He's my kind of creep. The reason why I say that is cuz he's seen that way. Like literally, I said to my dad & his friend that his last name means Cockroach in Japanese & it was insta-insult to Shino. I mean seriously! People! Come on! He mainly deals with Kikaichu beetles! Cockroaches are bellow Shino's level! T.T That's why I feel sad for Shino.**


	9. Fighting Water, Saving Camrade

**Hiya! Sorry 'bout the wait! Had some stupid project to work on! *Pounds a project into the ground then bakes a cookie in the shape of the project & bites the head off.* Aren't I insane? **

**Anyway, you know the deal… Read the dramatic/romantic story! *points idiotically **

They stood there, face to face with their enemy. Kisame was thinking of ways to kill them.

_If I run at them directly the bee brat, _bug _boy, & the Hyuga will try to ward me off. And since the leader & the kid with the dog would be behind me… I would end up finished! 'Guess we're doing this long distance then! _He did a series of hand signs & stood there patiently.

They all looked around in wonder when suddenly… "Guys! Below you," Kiba shouted. But it was too late. A shark jumped out of the water & made a successful attempt to send Shino down into the deep ocean.

"Shino!" Ukiyokou ran out to where Shino had just been standing. Kisame whipped around & sent Kiba flying. Luckily, Kiba survived the blow. **(For those of you who think he died!) **It was a full three-sixty turn, making it so that he was facing them once more.

"Shino! Shino," Ukiyokou kept yelling into the water. Her heart was breaking with each passing second. If she didn't act now, the Aburame she admired so greatly would end up dead.

Shino fought against the chakra formed water shark His struggles proved to no avail. He calculated swiftly he had ten seconds of air left.

Kisame swung at Ukiyokou in fury. One of them would've caught her if it wasn't for Kurenai Sensei. He swung at her once more, only to see a kunai knife had met his legendary fish skin sword. No matter where Shino was, Ukiyokou wasn't finished with her work yet.

_Ten..._

She backed away quickly & preformed a hand sign. She created a honey clone to aid her.

_Nine..._

She dove into the water, swimming to save Shino from a watery death.

_Eight..._

Her clone fought hard & good against Kisame, trying to stay intact. The clone had about depleted its chakra. Kurenai had barely any of her own chakra. Hinata had tried to fight but it proved unsuccessful & a waste of chakra. She was about out as well.

_Seven..._

The clone used the last of its energy summoning up a giant salamander with a scar on his right eye. The salamander was vastly known as the Wandering Gambler or the Wanderer. But his real name was Roiyaru.

_Six..._ Shino was beginning to struggle from the lack of air. Little did he realize, his world was beginning to darken.

"Ah... So the Hidden Mist Village's own rouge is here! Well let's see what the dice say about of your survival..." Roiyaru rolled his lucky dice & looked intently as the chakra filled cubes bounced across the water.

_F-five... If only someone would… help... _Shino went unconscious not realizing that Ukiyokou was near the surface of the water, covering his mouth to keep him from letting out any air if he was out of it.

She broke the surface with the poor half drowned Aburame on her back. She watched Roiyaru deal out his graceful punishment on Kisame.

Both dice landed on six, the number of torture. Roiyaru looked up with a smirk in his amphibian face. "You're lucky! You get a little bit of torture but no death! Lucky you..." He did a hand sign & the dice turned into chains & rapped around his foe's body. It started to squeeze him. He pulled out his lucky playing cards & threw them at Kisame, turning into various ninja weapons.

Kisame melted into the water & was immediately re-confronted by the same problem. "Ah, yes… I forgot to mention about my dice & card's Lucky Tracking Technique. Once I have chosen the target it goes after everything that resembles the real target as well. No matter how many clones you make, you will never escape! Don't you just love my way of playing the game?"

_He thinks it's a game? What kind of summoning animal is he?_ Ukiyokou wasn't at all fazed about his comment, but Kisame & the rest were all looking at her overgrown salamander like he was the weirdest thing ever made by Orochimaru!

The weapons spun around, beating Kisame almost into a pulp. Leaving several cuts & scrapes, the weapons had finished with their torture. Kisame fell to his knees, coughing up blood. He stood up once more. "D-don't think this is over! I'll fight you again! Every last one of you, Leaf Village Scum!"

H jumped out of sight without another word. Ukiyokou crawled up onto a rock, exhausted. She managed to place Shino next to her a least a few inches away from her body before passing out.

**Well? Well? What do you think? Is it worth the **_**Review**_**? You know what I'm asking! R & R!**


	10. Awakening: Intro the Original Leaf 11!

**Hey people! Lookit! A chapter for you to read! Enjoy it!**

Ukiyokou woke up, feeling exhausted. She laid there on the nice, soft... Bed? She looked around wearily & quickly realized she was at a hospital, surrounded by mostly unrecognizable faces. "Huh? Who are they…," She moaned.

A spiky blond headed kid wearing a black & orange jacket looked over to the noise. He perked up seeing that Ukiyokou had her eyes open. "Hey, she's awake!" Everyone turned towards Ukiyokou. She recognized none of them.

"Hiya! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! What's your name?" He was just as vibrant & loud as Kiba. _Kiba! What happened to the rest of them? What happened to Shino?_

She let out a loud gasp. "Wait! Where's the rest of the team? What did you do with them? What about Shino? Is he alright?"

Naruto drew back. "Umm… What do you mean? You're in the Leaf Village hospital! And why are you so worried? Especially about Shino, what did he ever do for you?"

A girl with pink hair nudged Naruto. "You idiot! She's a Leaf ninja, & since she was on the same team as Shino, it-"

"Should be only natural for Ukiyokou to be worried about me?" They looked over to the bed nearby Ukiyokou's to see the almost unrecognizable bug tamer had awoken. He sat up, wincing a little from the battle that they had had. That Water Shark did a number on his body.

"What a drag… He's injured…," Came a defeatist form of tone from a young man sporting a Chunin vest & ponytail.

"Umm… who are all of you?" Ukiyokou had never seen these people before, so she didn't know what to make of them.

"Oh, my name's Sakura Haruno," said the pink headed girl using her head band as a hair band instead.

"Shikamaru Nara… Man it's like the Nara family is the most boring in the Leaf? You know what I mean?" He began to rub the back of his neck. He obviously had a problem with everything. It was a _drag _for him to do anything!

"Yeah, I know. In my old Village, there wasn't much they wanted of our family either…" She cocked her head to the side & smiled.

She looked over to a boy stuffing his face with barbecue flavored potato chips. "Choji Akamichi," He announced in between bites. She was a tad disgusted by how much bulk he had on his body, & how he didn't seem to care. Obviously nothing compared to the Aburame Clan's Shino Aburame, the most daring hero in her life!

"Dude, if you keep eating like that, you're just going to ge-"

"DON'T SAY THAT WORD," They all shouted. She winced in shock.

"What all I was going to say is that he'll just get fa-" A girl with hair as pale a blond as Oujouyue's, rushed over & covered her mouth.

"What was she about to say," Choji asked in the most threatening tone in which he could muster up, &, to Ukiyokou, wasn't anything like Shino's.

"She said you're just going to get more…" She paused. _Think something that starts with "fa"… _"Famous! More famous!"

"Ok. I thought she was about to call me fat or something… She wasn't was she?" They both shook their heads. "Good."

"Listen, are you trying to get killed? That word is strictly taboo to Choji. It's just like ignoring Shino & pretending not to recognize him. Well, not really… but if you say that word Choji will go crazy, so never say that word! Nod if you understand." Ukiyokou nodded. "Alright then! I'm Ino Yamanaka! I work with Coji, Shikamaru, & Asuma Sensei." By this time Ino had removed her hand from Ukiyokou's mouth.

"Nice to meat you Ino… thanks, by the way." She smiled at Ino warmly.

"Hello I'm Asuma Sensei," Spoke a man with dark colored hair & a beard. "Like Ino said I work with them."

"Nice to meet you, too, Sensei." Again she smiled at him, like she did the rest.

"My name's Neji Hyuga. I believe you've met my cousin, Hinata Hyuga, correct?" Ukiyokou nodded. His authoritive way of speaking reminded her of Shino.

A boy with a bowl shaped hair cut & dark green jumpsuit gave a proud thumbs up sign. "I'm Rock Lee! I never stop training! If I do I will imminently fall behind the rest of the team!"

"I like your motivated style Lee…," Ukiyokou stated happily.

At this, Shino went into immediate despair. _I'm losing Uki to a kid in a tacky green jumpsuit with a bowl shaped hair cut! _He looked down with his lips quivering in a miniscule fashion enough for anybody not to notice.

"Hey! Lee's mine!" A girl with buns in her hair was just to the left of Lee.

"Umm… & you are?" She looked at her with a questioning glance.

"Ten Ten! And you keep your grubby foreigner hands off of my man!" _Wait how did she know I was foreign? _

"Hey! I got no interest in that guy. I just like the motivated attitude! The rest of him is all yours! Besides I prefer someone with a little bit more of… of a love for insects & logic!" She raised her hands in a peace gesture.

"Gee, Ten Ten… You never showed that much of a liking toward Lee like that before." Neji, Ukiyokou began to determine, was the more serious & mocking of the group.

Their Sensei did the same proud thumb sign as Lee did, this time announcing, "Hi! I'm Might Guy! The Green Monster of the Leaf! I'm also these three's Sensei!" Ukiyokou had a look of embarrassment this time. With Lee, he was young so it made sense, with Guy… It was embarrassing!

"I'm Yamato. I'm substituting for Kakashi for now. He's in the hospital, too," said a man with brownish hair sporting a Jonin vest & face guard.

A ghostly pale boy to his left stood there. Is fashion made him look a little feminine because his top didn't reach his black pants, showing his belly button. "Hi, my name is Sai." He did a fake smile, which made Ukiyokou a little nervous.

"Umm… how long was I out?" It hadn't occurred to her before, but last time she checked, she was knocked out on a rock with Shino beside her.

Shikamaru sighed. "According to Sakura, Ino, & Lady Tsunade, your salamander friend kept dropping you and Shino, either it be high above or near the ground. You both were in coma for a few days."

"I wondered why Naruto was back from the Village so early." He looked over to Ukiyokou with a sense of relief that she was ok. "At least she, unlike a certain overactive ninja, remembered me…"

Naruto shot an insulted look at Shino. "What's that supposed to mean? You still mad that I didn't recognize you?" The question was left unanswered.

A muffled argument was coming from outside the room. "Lady Tsunade! If that girl remains here it could mean the end of the clan! Do you understand?"

"I understand perfectly, Gen, but you can't really keep them apart. Shino's smart enough to know that nothing can stand in his way if it involves something he's passionate for. Besides, if he doesn't find someone he cares for dearly, who will be the next heir to the Aburame Clan after Shino?"

There was moment of silence behind the door. Gen must have been thinking, & thinking hard.

"No one, right? So it's either let the Aburame die or let your son fall for the Kamizuru."

"Never! Shino will have to settle for someone else! Even if _I_, Gen Aburame, have to arrange it for him!"

The door flew open with a great amount of energy behind it. Gen aburame was red in the face & looked as furious as he could get! "Shino Aburame! I forbid you from going on anymore missions with this girl!"

Shino clenched his teeth, trying to keep from losing his cool. _He can't do this! _ "I'm going to request that you be moved to another room. I don't want the evil forces of the Kamizuru to corrupt you any further. You've already been tainted by their evil ways enough as it is. Especially since you disobeyed your own father & betrayed the Aburame clan by returning to that... _Thing_" With that, he left the room still irked that his son disobeyed him.

Shino was beginning to feel a new feeling towards his father. He was feeling _hatred_.

**Sorry, Kiba was in another room for those who are wondering! This is a romance story about Shino! Not Kiba! Oh & Hinata is in another room as well. Sowwy! Anywho, R&R! Please? I'll give you Shino's phone number! Not really… **


	11. Notes Between Each Other

**Lookit! Lookit! A new chapter! Delayed one, but yeah. I gots a question! Why do you people read it then don't review it? Is it cuz you don't gots an account? Q.Q T.T Nuuuu! **

**^^ Anyway keep writing! Writing? Reading! *Smacks my forehead* Duh!**

Shino & Ukiyokou were separated, thanks to Shino's dad. The good thing is about them being both iShino & Ukiyokou were separated, thanks to Shino's dad. The good thing is about them being both insect tamers, was that they can form insect clones in the form of a doctor. There was one problem with this solution. Both of them were to be checked on at the same time under a two hour block between the checkups.

Shino quickly devised a solution to this one. He would send an insect clone with information on whether or not the halls were clear. The way he dispatched this was through his beetles, transformed into a tile attached to the ceiling of the hospital hall. If there was a nurse or doctor, the insect clone would immediately disperse into different areas without anyone noticing their presence. The note was also made up of insects.

The clone would carry a note from Shino himself to Ukiyokou, and then do the same for Ukiyokou's note as well.

_Ukiyokou…_Shino wrote. _I need to tell you something. I am new to the feeling of loving someone outside of my clan. I mean I care about my dad, though he can be strict at times but… it's not the same feeling, Uki._

Shino conjured up his insect clone & sent the note on its way. Shino's note reached Ukiyokou without fail. She read it over then asked if the insects would rearrange themselves into a blank piece of paper. Following the orders the kikaichu beetles dispersed & reformed into a blank sheet of paper for her to write on. She took out her handy ink dispensing brush, uncapped it & began writing.

_Shino, it's ok. Love is strange to me too. I didn't have much friends back home in the Hidden_ _Stone_ _Village, so I was alone all the time. My family was…_are _outcasts ever since the main branch failed to lead the Hidden_ _Stone_ _Village_ _in invading the Hidden Leaf. As you know, naturally, I was against the war. That's how I came to adore the Aburame Clan. You're family fought dearly & truly for their village, & that is how they bested the main branch of my family. _She handed the note to the clone & it headed off.

Shino had received the note. He was glad to hear that he wasn't to blame for the downfall of the Kamizuru Clan.

_Uki, you do realize that it was my _grandfather _who took part in that, right? I wasn't born then. The Aburame Clan has always fought for the Hidden_ _Leaf_ _Village_ _& always will! _Shino sent the note off, this time using a new set of insects for paper.

Ukiyokou received the note. She read it over & realized something. There was a way for them to truly be together.

_Shino! I think I may have a plan to convince you're father- _"Excuse me, Ukiyokou? What on earth are you writing," said a woman with hair the same shade as Ukiyokou's. By this time the insect clone had disappeared.

"Umm… Notes, Mom?" Itoshiihana Kamizuru walked over to Ukiyokou's bedside to peer over her shoulder.

"Shino? You mean that pleasant Aburame clan member in your new team?" Ukiyokou nodded certainly.

"You don't mind if I'm around him, do you, Mom?" She looked up fearful that she would start going off like Gen Aburame did.

But instead of a loud argument over being in different clans there was a "I don't mind if you do" That might as well been jumping off of her lips.

"Wait, what? You're not mad about liking an Aburame clan member?" Itoshiihana nodded happily.

Ukiyokou's mom began to leave. "Of course not, dear! We came here to start a new life, so we might as well make friends!"

"_Not if your friends father won't let me near his son because we're evil_", Ukiyokou began to mutter.

Obviously hearing her words Itoshiihana spoke up. "I'll talk to his father in the mean time get some rest." She closed the door behind her. She asked the insects to reconfigure themselves again. Reluctantly, they changed into a clean sheet of paper.

_Shino, my mom will talk to your dad to see if she can reason with him. If that fails, we'll have to convince him ourselves. Is that a good plan for you? _She sent the note back to Shino.

Shino received the note & it wasn't good news for him. _Uki, the Aburame clan has never gotten along with the Kamizuru. My father, being the head of the clan, may not take the matter lightly. He doesn't mean any harm but… it could elevate to a fight between the two. Besides, I haven't met her. I wouldn't know what her reaction wou- _

The door handle jiggled. The insects memorized the note & the brush & paper immediately dispersed into beetles & flew under the bed.

To Shino, a young woman with chocolate hair came in dressed in a Kamizuru kimono. She looked almost like Ukiyokou, but older. He figured it was Ukiyokou's mother, but he couldn't be sure.

"Aah… So you're Shino Aburame! You're even more handsome than I thought."

Shino put on a concerned look. She was sending the wrong signals to him & Shino did _not_ like it.

Seeing Shino's look of concern she replied, "Oh sorry, I'm Itoshiihana Kamizuru, Ukiyokou's mother. I didn't mean to worry you like that!" She smiled sweetly at Shino. The resemblance was shocking. She looked just like Ukiyokou! An older version of Ukiyokou!

"You are correct, Lady Itoshiihana. I'm Shino Aburame of the Aburame Clan, & possibly the next leader of the family." He really didn't know what to make of her. Was she like the ones he confronted on a mission three years ago? Was she like Ukiyokou? Or could she be like Itachi & Ojouyue & have a dark secret behind her?

"'Lady Itoshiihana'? Please, Shino, call me Itoshii. My husband died a few years back because of the discrimination against the Kamizuru as a whole. I run the cadet of the family in his place. I saw what Ukiyokou was writing. I'll be talking with your dad to get him to come to reason ok? You guys won't have to like each other in secret anymore!"

Shino was downcast by this. He lowered his head, knowing that it would possibly make things worse. It became apparent to Shino that he could never truly care for Ukiyokou without his father getting angry at him. His lips began to quiver without much control behind them.

"Why the down expression? It could work! You & Ukiyokou wouldn't have to worry anymore! Be happy!"

For the first time in his life, Shino spoke with a shaky voice full of sadness, "The fact of the matter is… t-that the Aburame were enemies towards the Kamizuru Clan. My father believes that the Aburame may not ever get along with the Kamizuru. He's denying me to even be near your daughter for possibly that reason. Either that, or the fact that the K-kamizuru clan once tried to help out in invading the Hidden Leaf."

Despite his record of keeping a straight face Shino cried. The ever so stoic Shino actually started crying. Silver tears streamed silently out from under his shades & down his cheeks in sadness. Unlike the pain of insects, not being around someone he cared about more than anything was far worse than anything Shino had felt. Not even the constricting pain in his body he had felt after fighting Kankuro compared to the pain of guilt he had about him being an Aburame. And yes, for the first time in his life he regretted being a member of the Leaf Village's Aburame Clan.

"Did I say something wrong, Shino?" Shino, noting that he had just let go of all control over his emotions, immediately stopped crying. He clenched his teeth in hatred towards himself for being so weak to show his emotions.

"No... It's just that I fear for Ukiyokou's safety. And… Myself as well. Gen Aburame, my father, can have a temper if need it be. It's just how he is… I've also never faced such a complicated thing such as love."

Itoshiihana smiled at him & ran her fingers through his nearly pitch black brown hair. "Shino, I don't think the leader of the Aburame clan would hurt his only son: A. B: Ukiyokou's to ebergetic to let someone like Gen bring her down, regardless. And, of course, C: We all have to face love at some point, Shino!" Shino wanted to slap himself for coming up with such illogical ideas. It was as if his sadness for Ukiyokou was clouding up his mind. Either that, or he was just drowsy because the medication the doctor had given him was kicking in.

He fell asleep.

WwWxXxWwW

Shino awoke to the feeling of someone standing over him. The figure was hazy at first but then he realized who it was. It was Ukiyokou. He figured it was a honey clone. "Shino... best person in the world to me..." She was rubbing her hand through his dark brown hair.

She leaned over & kissed him on the cheek. After that the Honey clone lost it's form & exploded into into small, sparkling particles of honey. _I must've been dreaming..._ He thought & he fell back asleep.

It wasn't a dream Ukiyokou had made a honey clone of herself & she had sent it to Shino's room. She was proud of it, regardless of what Shino felt. She had finally gotten to kiss Shino without her worrying about him complaining.

**Okay! A little OOC on Shino's part cuz either the sadness of being away from Uki was making him hurt emotionally bad, or the medication was kicking in & that can make even Shino act a little loopy. In other words the meds did this to Shino: . Dur... durrr... Duuuuuhhhh... Yeah sort of... **

**Well, anyway, despite the delay, hoped you liked it! R&R everybody!**


	12. Shino's Sneaky Ideas & Determination

**Hey people! Read! It's good for you! ^^ Anyway R&R you know the drill. {Note: There is a reference to another T.V. show in here! -Hint, hint!-}**

Shino awoke from another hour long slumber which had been his second one that day. An unusual devious idea had entered his mind & it seemed as if, to his usual quiet self, to be a bit too illogical & crazy. But he, still being drugged from medication, went with it anyway.

The plan was to meet in the hallway in between their rooms. They would disguise themselves as different people, so no one would notice. How they were going to do that would be the next thing to worry about. For Shino, the solution was simple: Ditch the black high collared jacket, transform his hooded one so it would look like it was a beige color with out the strapping loops at the back, & make sure that the weapon holster was removed from his black pants. He did all this then put it on in a certain order.

He had replaced his hospital pajama like bottoms for the one he had transformed before, & the top for the hooded jacket now conveniently with the hood draped over his eyes, which were now uncovered by the dead-give-away shades, & zipped up. He slipped on his ninja slippers & hid his jacket & hospital clothing. He created an insect clone & sent a group of insects with special instructions to Uki.

Ukiyokou followed the instructions & headed out wearing a dark blue dress with her hair pulled up into a bun so she wasn't recognized by anyone. She walked through the hallway searching for someone that seemed out of place. She passed by a hooded person & continued without much thought.

A hand grabbed her right shoulder. She spun around only to meet the hooded person she had passed recently, staring at her with cold dark eyes. "What do want? I'm supposed to be meeting a friend here! Let me be!" She began to struggle out of the hooded boy's grip, but it only got tighter.

"Uki-," The boy began but before he could finish Ukiyokou began to yell. Her yelling, of course was cut off before she could make much noise. "Ukiyokou, it's me, Shino." Ukiyokou looked into Shino's eyes. The pupils were enlarged a bit because they were rarely uncovered by his shades. They seemed cold at first, to Ukiyokou, because she was fearful of being hurt or possibly caught by one of the nurses or doctors.

His eyes were actually a very black form of brown. In fact, they could've been easily mistaken for black at first glance. They seemed to have warmth, to Ukiyokou, & they also seemed to stare right into her soul. "Shino? I would have never guessed! You look so… different without your shades on."

By this time, the effects of the drug had worn off a quite a bit, & Shino was back to being himself. But all of a sudden he felt a wave of the foreign emotion that had infiltrated his mind & body the day they had met. The foreign emotion called "love". Without any thought about it, he hugged Ukiyokou. He didn't seem to know why. It just… happened.

Ukiyokou hugged back. She didn't seem to care if Shino understood love, himself. She was happy to have affection from the beetle tamer she loved.

Ukiyokou, being a little shorter, burried her face in his chest. "Shino... Though we're in the same building, I feel we are worlds apart! I've missed you so."

Shino looked down at Ukiyokou. "I've been worrying to much lately about you."

They stood there for a moment, savoring it. They finally released each other. "Ukiyokou, head back to you're room... We don't want anyone knowing we were out here." Ukiyokou nodded & walked back to her room. Shino walked back to his room as well.

Shino was, again, dosed with the drug. He didn't waste anytime falling asleep. When he awoke, a doctor had told him he had been released from the hospital. This had also happened in Ukiyokou's room.

They both walked out together & realized the sun was setting. They said their farewells for the day & headed to their home.

* * *

Shino stood there in his room with his black jacket unbuttoned, showing his mesh shirt underneath. He wanted to give something of his to Ukiyokou... but what?

He spotted a plush bug he had received when he was little. He remembered some nights where the poor bug tamer couldn't sleep, all because the little stuffed beetle he had when he was three went missing.

He picked it up. It still comforted him just by being in his hands. _Ukiyokou would like this. It would be a nice gift for her._

There was a sound of an argument which sparked Shino's curiosity & observation. He headed out into the hallway & proceeded to the living room where it seemed to be stemmed from. He listened in to the argument, keeping out of sight as much as possible.

"I _don't_ believe you! You're Kamizuru scum! All of you," Yelled Gen Aburame. But who he was yelling at, he couldn't be too sure.

"Listen, Ukiyokou's not a bad person, nor are the rest of my branch! Do I look like the kind of person who would kill someone based upon their family?" Shino knew that voice well. Itoshiihana was doing what she had promised him & Ukiyokou.

"Of course! You're all alike. The only reason your letting Ukiyokou near _my_ son is because you want him _dead_! It's the only logical explanation for it." _He's wrong! Ukiyokou has cared about me from the day we met! Why would she save me from drowning after Kisame attacked me with his water shark technique if it were true?_ Forgetting he had the stuffed toy in his hands, he squeezed it, causing it to squeak from a hand powered whistle inside of it.

They both paused for a second. Itoshii was the first to speak. "What was that noise?"

Gen looked over to the hallway entrance where the noise had come from. "Shino, what have I told you about eavesdropping?"

Shino casually stepped into view. "I believe I have the right to listen in on a conversation that has to do with any of _my _relationships outside of this household. After all, isn't it fair to know what's going on if it concerns ones' own well being?"

Gen couldn't argue there. They were talking about _Shino's_ relationship with Ukiyokou.

Itoshii smiled that same warm smile at Shino in greeting. "Hello, again, Shino. How are you feeling?"

Gen raised an eyebrow. _They've been acquainted already? If I don't stop this madness the Aburame clan will fall!_

"I've been well. How's Ukiyokou?" Gen was getting more frustrated by the second.

"She's fine. All she can think about is how much she wants to impress you. She feels she isn't good enough for you, so she wants to train extra hard. I'm worried she might go to far with it & hurt herself."

_Good riddance, then!_ Gen was not at all pleased. His only son was conversing with Kamizuru trash! He was more or less betraying the very clan he belonged to.

"She can train all she wants to improve herself, but her heart will remain the same in my eyes." His tone was enough to unsettle everyone who had known Shino ever since! But Itoshii didn't seem to care.

"That's nice, Shino. You seem to care a lot about Ukiyokou."

That was the last straw for Gen. He stood up, with a furious look on his face. "Get out! Get out of this household right now! You're poisoning my son's mind with your evil ways! I never want the Aburame Clan to come in contact with your family again! Ever!"

"What did I-"

"Leave or I'll have to force you!" At this point Gen was calling up his own insects, ready to attack Itoshii.

Itoshii, seeing the danger in staying, walked to the door quietly. She turned to give one last look at the poor young bug tamer, holding his once most favored toy. Though his eyes were masked, she could tell that he was now in a very forlorn mood. "I'm sorry, Shino. I tried to help you & Ukiyokou. Goodbye." Silent tears streamed down her face as she left the Aburame estate.

Shino turned to his father. "Are you happy, now? Are you satisfied? What is so wrong with loving a Kamizuru clan member? Is it the history behind them? Or is it because all _you_ want is for me to be the next leader of this clan? You can't bend others' emotions! Especially mine! You can't take Uki away from me!"

"Now wait just one minute, young man-"

"No! _You_ wait! This is _my_ relationship! _My_ comrade & friend! You have yet to learn that, _Dad_. I may be your son, but... This is _my_ relationship!"

He fled with his stuffed beetle in his hand. Whilst no one was looking, he put the plush toy in his pocket, pulled over his hood, & buttoned up his jacket. It was going to be a long night for him.

* * *

Ukiyokou meanwhile, had picked out the best gift from her collection for Shino. She was a big fan of the once former famed show known as Pokemon. And since she had a plush Beedrill she would give it Shino. Though she wasn't sure if he knew much about Pokemon it would still be a good present,because it was basically a bee with spikes on it's front legs. Not much difference between the Kamizuru's bees & a beedrill from Pokemon.

About half an hour later, she heard her mom sobbing as she entered the house. Ukiyokou rushed to her aid inside the kitchen where Itoshiihana Kamizuru had collapsed in a chair. "What is it mom? What's wrong."

All she did was shake her head with it cupped in her hands & say "I'm sorry! I tried!" over & over again.

Ukiyokou knew what this meant. She had had an argument with Gen Aburame & she had failed to win him over. It was up to Ukiyokou & Shino now.

"I'm leaving to go find Shino. Is that okay with you?" She nodded her head in reply. With that Ukiyokou left to find him.

**Wow... (').(') Epic. Anyway hoped you enjoyed it. Next one will have Shino & Ukiyokou- * covers my mouth* Can't tell yas! ^^ Anywho,buh-byezies!**


	13. Escape, New Enemies, & Gifts!

**Hey! R&R! Yuni Gag alert! Broken door do not touch. –Taps door- I touched it! Now what ya gonna do? Call the door police?**

Shino stood, with his back facing the Leaf Village, on top of the Hokage rock. He walked past the buildings atop the cliff. He stopped & preformed a hand sign. "Release..." A symbol appeared in front of him & a passage revealed itself.

As soon as he was inside the chamber, the passage closed from the automatic reactivation of a sealing jutsu. His cousin, being in the Anbu Black Ops, had placed this in because of her constant suspicion that Shino would go crazy from the pressure of being the next leader of the Aburame clan. In a sense, she was correct by only twenty percent. He was going crazy, but because of the fact that his father was acting so... stubborn.

He walked down the passage to a wooden door & opened it to a white room with a bed, refrigerator, table, & television set. To the far right corner of the room was another door which led to a bathroom. Shino would've smiled if it weren't so uncomfortable to do so.

Shirei had thought of every thing in case Shino wanted to be alone. _For once… Thank you Shirei._

XxzzxX

Ukiyokou ninja sprinted over the roof tops of the Leaf. She began to worry that Shino was unreachable, like an impossible prize at a festival.

_No! I will have Shino! No one in the world will keep him from me!_ While lost in thought she crashed into something gray & energetic. She looked up clenching her eyes shut from hurting her head. "Hey! Watch it! Look where you're going you clumsy ninja!"

When she opened her eyes she noticed an Anbu Black Ops mask had been cast near the edge of the roof. Ukiyokou began to panic. What would the Hokage say when she heard that she had injured one of the Leaf Village's agents of protection?

The person she had crashed into was picking up their… shades? Wait, why was that person holding a pair of shades that was mostly worn by the Aburame Clan? As soon as she had replaced the shades over her eyes she crawled over to where her mask was.

"Hey! You crashed into me! Aren't you going to say sorry," Ukiyokou shouted.

The girl looked up. "Sorry! My bad!" She was wearing a grey jacket identical to Shino's. Her hair was just as dark as well. It was obvious that she was an Aburame Clan member, but she was smiling, which was quite strange for an Aburame.

"Uh… who are you? And aren't you Aburame?" Ukiyokou stared at this strange girl hoping she would say no.

To her horror she said the opposite. "Yep! I go by the name Shirei Aburame! The reason I'm so happy is 'cause I'm adopted! I was given the clan insect not long after I was adopted & I was still a baby then so I guess you could almost say I'm an Aburame!" She covered her mouth with her hand, & quickly hid her face behind the catlike mask. "Shouldn't have told you all that. Forget what you heard. You're an outsider, so you can't be trusted," Shirei said in a serious tone.

As Shirei began to leave, Ukiyokou spun around. "Hey do you know Shino Aburame? I'm his friend, Ukiyokou!"

Shirei froze in place. "Shino Aburame… is my cousin. I've heard of you, Ukiyokou. He told me about you. I have reason to believe he is on top of the Hokage mountain face. Use you're insects to find the passage, then release the automatic sealing jutsu."

She closed her eyes & nodded. "Thanks" When she opened them Shirei was gone.

Now knowing where to go, Shirei ninja sprinted to her destination.

When she got up there she saw a figure in front of a bee she had sent out to find the passage. Judging by the way the insect was behaving, that was where the passage was. The figure stepped forward & the bee flew back to Ukiyokou.

"Ukiyokou Kamizuru…," said the figure's low raspy voice. "You are betraying you're family when you commune with the trash known as Shino Aburame!" He jumped out of view then reappeared behind Ukiyokou, placing a Kunai knife to her neck.

Ukiyokou began to tremble.

"I'm giving you three days to make up you're mind. If you don't comply I'll have no choice but to kill you." He gave her a slight cut on the neck with the kunai knife & left.

She shakily preformed the required release. The path way opened then closed behind her as she stumbled down to a wooden door at the end of the earthy passage. She knocked on the door, hesitantly.

Shino looked up from his game of Super Smash Bros. He had just finished throwing Link off of a cliff, using Luigi, since he was playing against the computer.

Despite his serious demeanor, he actually enjoyed video games. The ones with hand to hand combat were one of the ones he favored the most. He figured he could learn a few moves from them. But alas, all Shirei had put in there was Pokemon, Super Smash Bros, & Sonic, all of which had combat, but they weren't very educational when it came to learning moves.

He got up & unlocked the dead bolt, but kept the chain lock on so no one could get in if it were anybody he despised. He opened the door as far as the chain lock could allow. Shino nearly gasped at the sight of a shaking Ukiyokou standing at the door, with a gash on her neck that was now bleeding. He unlocked the chain lock & let her in.

As soon as Ukiyokou was inside he asked her with his serious yet caring tone as usual, "Ukiyokou, what happened? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Shino… A man told me that if I kept seeing you he would kill me. I have three days until then to decide to stop liking you or to end up dead." She began to cry.

Shino wasn't about to lose Ukiyokou to anybody. He, being the analytical bug tamer he was, quickly devised a plan. He, despite his usual reserved self, pulled Ukiyokou into a hug to comfort her. He ran a hand through her chocolate brown hair. _Ukiyokou. I'll be there for you until the very end of time._

"Ukiyokou, I won't ever let anyone take you away from me. You're too much of a treasure to lose." Shino was shocked by his own words. He had never said anything so meaningful to anybody before.

"Oh, Shino…" She continued to cry into Shino's black jacket.

"Ukiyokou, the gash on your neck needs to be treated." Shino looked down to Ukiyokou with as much care as possible.

She looked up at Shino. "Alright."

Shino took the satchel of the back of his jacket. He looked through it until he found some bandages. He disinfected the wound with alcohol, causing it to burn. Then he rapped the bandage around her neck carefully.

She looked at Shino with a little more joy in her eyes. "Thanks." Ukiyokou looked around the room & spotted the now paused Super Smash Bros. game. "Shino!"

Shino, still in shock from discovering how much of a caring demeanor he had around Ukiyokou, looked up to see if anything was wrong.

"You never told me you liked video games! Say do you like Pokemon?" She smiled innocently at the bewildered bug tamer.

"It seems that you cheer up easily, Ukiyokou. You have a similar quality my cousin, Shi-"

"Shirei Aburame? I _literally _ran into her on the way here. Man it must be tough for her to keep secrets! She yelled out a whole boatload of who she actually was after I asked her if she was an Aburame Clan member."

Shino wasn't at all surprised. Shirei never went on any Anbu Black Ops missions outside the village for that main reason. "Shirei takes it seriously when it comes to the most dangerous secrets. The ones that concern her identity don't mean much to her most times."

"She seems like a nice person! Very happy!" Ukiyokou smiled vibrantly at Shino.

"Yes, & she sticks her nose into things as well. Her hyper activeness & tendency to pry rivals Naruto's." Shino understood his cousin well. She was a bug wielding, happy past carrying, Aburame version of Naruto. So, in a sense, Shirei took up the role as the "Number One, Knuckle Headed Aburame of The Leaf Village!", since Naruto had taken the role of "Number One, Knuckle Headed Ninja".

Ukiyokou chuckled, & then she remembered her question. "Hey! You changed the subject! Do you like Pokemon or what?"

"Actually, I don't have much of a liking for it at all… If I had to name a favorite out of the large group of strange creatures, my first choice would be a Venonat. Why is that? It doesn't say much. I figure it's a very decisive Pokemon."

Ukiyokou was shocked he knew enough about it to name even one of the many creatures called "Pokemon".

"Well… Shino…" Ukiyokou began to blush. "I've got something for you. I picked out of what I had."

Shino watched as she revealed a Bee Drill plush from her dress sleeve.

"This is the closest thing to a real insect in my collection! It's one of my prized possessions & I'm giving it to you." She smiled that sweet warm smile of hers at Shino once more.

Shino was surprised greatly, since this was unexpected. _Uki…_ "I have something for you, too, Uki. Close your eyes."

She hesitantly closed her eyes, not knowing what to expect.

Shino took her free hand & placed the soft object in her hand. He kept a hold on hit placing his free hand under Ukiyokou's. "This is one of my most prized possessions. Keep it with at all times. If anything happens, take it out & think of me. Through this I'll always be with you." The next action Shino took was one that not even he could explain. He lowered his collar &… kissed her.

After Shino had done that he instructed Ukiyokou open her eyes.

She followed Shino's orders & looked down to the now revealed plush beetle. Tears of joy streamed down Ukiyokou's face as she held the beetle to her chest. She tackled Shino causing him to stumble backward a little in her energetic embrace. "Thank you, Shino! I love it!"

As soon as she let go, Shino regained his usual serious composure. "I've had it since I was three. It used to be my absolute favorite toy, the thing I couldn't live without for a while." Shino was now fumbling with the Bee Drill plush in thought.

She grinned at him. Then a thought entered Ukiyokou's mind. "Hey, Shino?"

Shino looked up from his mindless fumbling with his new possession. "Yes?"

"Do you ever smile? Did you ever smile?" She began to twist & turn with a curious look on her face.

He dropped his satchel on the ground & pulled out a medium sized photo album. He opened up to a page where a three year old kid wearing a grey t-shirt with a picture of a beetle on it from a skyward view, a pair of light brown pants, & of course a pair of shades, the trademark of an Aburame. The kid chocked his head to one side with a grin on his face. He was holding the very same plush beetle Shino had given Ukiyokou.

The child wasn't alone. Behind him were Gen Aburame, The child's mother, obviously wearing the Aburame's signature outfit, his cousin, as a baby who was grinning like an idiot while playing with a baby rattle, his aunt who was also wearing the Aburame's signature out fit, & last but not least his uncle, like his wife wearing the Aburame Clan's signature outfit.

Ukiyokou just stared at the picture. _Man! Shino has a lot of family members that look just like him…Whoa…_ "So I'm gathering the little kid is you?"

"That's correct." He looked down at the picture. It seemed so long ago. He turned his attention to the clock on the wall. "It's best we get some rest.

**Man! Long chapter! Well… I got's to go people! Hope you liked it!**


	14. The Secret's of Ukiyokou & Shino

**Ah.. another chapter... Have fun reading it. Just so you know, I've been going through H-E- Double hokey sticks trying to get this Chapter out! **

**Enjoy! -.^y ~Yuni~**

Shino & Ukiyokou ran into a problem. There was only one bed in the panic room Shirei had built for them.

"Where the heck am I going to sleep, Shino?" She poised a fake "I'm very disappointed in you" look at Shino.

"On the ground, possibly", Shino joked for the first time in a long time.

"You're not serious, are you?" She chocked her head to one side in confusion.

"Why would I be serious about sleeping on the ground? After all, it has been awhile since this room was cleaned. We wouldn't want you fall ill, now would we?" Shino was being factual again, which was one of the things that Ukiyokou had been attracted to by him.

"Are you proposing that we should sleep in that bed together, Shino?" She was still partly confused.

"If you rather not then you may go home," Shino stated in a tired & sad tone.

Sensing Shino's loneliness, Ukiyokou agreed.

Shino walked over to the television set & switched the T.V. off. He switched the lights off & went to lie on the bed. Seeing that Ukiyokou needed some space to sleep as well he decided the best possible position to lie in & that was on his side facing the room itself. Despite how he hated sleeping in a bed with another person, this was an exception. After all, it was his girlfriend.

Ukiyokou, kind of not wanting to go home because of how late it was, went ahead & slept right there next to Shino.

Xxo A few hours later… oxX

Shino had been jarred from his peaceful sleep with a great deal of movement from his insects. The cause: Ukiyokou was clinging onto him in fear from a nightmare. Not only that, she was literally screaming!

"No! Shino, please stop! Don't do it..." Her grip tightened on Shino's side.

Shino cringed in pain. "Ukiyokou…" His voice only made her grip tighter. "Ukiyokou!"

Ukiyokou opened her eyes at last, still sniffling. She looked at Shino's expression & let go of his side immediately. "I'm sorry Shino I- I had a nightmare."

Shino nodded. "I realize that. What was the nightmare about?"

By this time Ukiyokou had sat up on the edge of the bed. "I saw someone from my clan. He had a special ability to infect his opponent with a pathogen that sends him into an uncontrollable frenzy. The opponent could kill anyone without even thinking of how his teammates would feel. I dreamt that the opponent he faced was you & you had been infected."

Shino sighed. He wanted to figure out if it would happen in the future. Just like her past dream about the Akatsuki. _Wait a second… my clan's special ability! I can see why that is. _"Ukiyokou… stand up."

Ukiyokou looked over at Shino questioningly then stood.

Shino moved from his position at a moderate speed from lying on the bed to standing upright on the ground. He removed his shades & placed a hand on his beloved comrade's forehead. He performed a partial hand sign.

Ukiyokou saw something new in Shino's eyes. It was like a wave of pure chakra rippling through them, possibly establishing a connection between his psyche & her's.

After wondering around in Ukiyokou's psyche for a few minutes he came to a conclusion. It was a Kekkai Genkai form of automatic Jutsu that Ukiyokou had. Unlike the strong form of genjutsu that enabled the Aburame control over their Kikaichu, hers was the type that saw into the future, not to mention her other ability that rivaled the Aburame's genjutsu.

Shino sighed & lifted his hand off of Ukiyokou's forehead. "You have a particular gift. It's a 'Kekkai Genkai', or blood trait. You see things before they happen, but it only seems to be limited to when you are asleep. We'll have to be wary of what may happen."

Ukiyokou looked at him curiously. There wasn't much light in the room except for the light shining from the Wii console, but even in this light she could see those soft dark brown eyes of Shino's. "Shino?"

"Hmm? What is it?" He chocked his head to the side waiting for Uki to ask her question.

"How come you always wear shades? Your eyes are too nice to be hidden."

Shino looked down in thought. Finally he came up with his answer. "It's a rumor that the majority of my clan's member's eyes have a tendency to be able to control not just insects but people themselves with just one glance. This, of course, is untrue, but there is another rumor that is told. It is said to keep from being blamed for a mission's failure it has become a rule & tradition that we cover our eyes. The _real_ truth behind it is that the smallest amount of light triggers the insects to lose their senses causing them to become bewildered & then causing damage to our eyes. That's why we wear shade glasses."

Ukiyokou rubbed the back of her head. "Gee… Sorry about that, Shino." She looked down for a moment. She couldn't possibly go back to sleep now. Her mind was too active to begin to go back into a relaxing trance. She looked at Shino who was obviously curious about what she was thinking just by the quiet look he gave her.

"Ukiyokou, whatever it is your thinking about, whether it be bad or good, don't be afraid to say it. Sometimes it's best to know what another is thinking because if that person longs to be comforted they can receive it from the other," Shino said in a caring yet serious manner

To Ukiyokou, that was Shino's way of saying that he wanted to know what she was thinking &, even if it were an insult, he'd understand & care for her anyway. "I was just wondering what it would be like if you smiled or laughed, if that isn't too much trouble for you"

Shino looked over to the wall where the bed was. This was a habit of his- to look over at something while pondering & thinking of an answer- that was, if he wasn't on a mission, very casual, yet strange as well. "It actually isn't. But because that's the way everyone knows me as… I remain silent. Besides, it's better to communicate with my inner self & the insects, so smiling & actually shedding a tear isn't suitable for the communication between insect tamer & insect."

Ukiyokou became a little disappointed. She wanted Shino to look happy, to enjoy being a person & not some hive for parasitic beetles.

"But…" Shino looked over to his beloved female teammate. "Maybe when we're alone like this I could show you the other side of myself, Uki, the less serious side."

"You would really do that, Shino?"

"If you wish…" Shino looked off to the side again. He looked back at Ukiyokou & undid his black jacket, revealing his sharp, pale yet handsome face. "Ukiyokou, tell me a joke."

"Huh? What kind?"

"Any."

"Ok, hear it goes. What do you get when you cross a bee with a till?"

"A 'Bee-till'? Uki…"

So it was decided. Shino's secret emotions would only be shown to Ukiyokou & no one else. It would be their little secret that only they knew.

**Well that concludes this chapter... -yawns- Man, I'm tired... See you guys later. Don't forget to rate & review!**


	15. The Festival

**Hey there sorry about the long delay... School, other stuff... I'm in an Invader Zim mood today. I hope you like this chapter! Remember to Review it people!**

**Random Invader Zim quote: "Sh- Sh- Sh- Not now, Son. I'm making... -electrical zap- ...Toast!"~ Profesor Membrane. **

Shino & Ukiyokou both couldn't sleep. One was a bit too jittery because of the nightmare; the other couldn't rest because of the fact that his insects were now too active for him to get any sleep.

Ukiyokou looked at the young bug tamer whom she admired so much. She studied his face, noting the almost flawless skin & the way it seemed to be outlined by his bone structure: the perfect boyfriend for her. He was trying his best to glance away from the glow of the Wii console so that the insects wouldn't cause any damage to his eyes. His eyes were dark & half masked from lack of sleep.

"Uki?"

His voice jarred her concentration from how handsome he was. "Huh? What is it, Shino?"

Shino looked over to her. He only focused on Ukiyokou, nothing else. "I forgot to mention… There's this festival and… I was thinking maybe we…" He cleared his throat. _Was this how Hinata felt when talking to Naruto? It must be hard for her._ "Maybe we could partake in it." All of a sudden he was knocked into by Ukiyokou in a forceful embrace.

"Yes! I would love that," Ukiyokou cheered.

They stumbled backwards & they were soon on the floor. Shino's face became red through sheer embarrassment, especially since Ukiyokou was on top of him. Ukiyokou looked into his dark brown eyes & Shino looked at her honey brown ones. "Well… This is awkward…," Ukiyokou stated promptly. Shino chuckled a little, the first chuckle he had made since he had that one mission when he ate rice doped with laughing potion. "Ukiyokou, I suggest you remove yourself from your current position before we get carried away with ourselves…"

Detecting Shino's warning, Ukiyokou stood up. She watched as Shino got to his feet.

Shino looked over at Ukiyokou, obviously pondering something. "Ukiyokou, I want to show you something." He walked over to the door & opened it. "Well? Are you coming?"

Ukiyokou nodded & followed Shino outside. They headed into the woods & were greeted by a grand spectacle.

The moonlight illuminated the forest, but it wasn't just the moonlight. A brilliant bright blue crystal light beamed through the trees.

Ukiyokou looked around in wonder.

As if to answer her thoughts, Shino stated promptly, "What you are seeing is the result of the mating ritual of a rare insect. They choose their mates based upon how bright the colors of what their prism like bodies show. The brightest, if you haven't already guessed, wins." He walked over & sat on a log that was being illuminated by the crystal butterfly-like insect's moon powered light. He rummaged through his satchel & took out a small banjo.

"Shino," Ukiyokou gasped. "You never told me you knew how to play the banjo!"

He looked up at Ukiyokou. "You're forgetting that I have hidden talents & hobbies" He began to strum a tune Ukiyokou recognized well.

"From This Moment…," Ukiyokou muttered.

Shino froze. He looked over to Ukiyokou with his dark brown eyes, the eyes of an eagle, but also the eyes of a faithful dog. "Strange…" He went back to strumming the tune of "From This Moment".

Ukiyokou walked over to Shino. She sat down on the log, leaning against him.

He continued to play the tune until he reached the end of the song. He looked over to Ukiyokou who was now fast asleep. "Uki…" He ran a hand through her chocolate silk hair. "I will never leave you. I'd rather die than let than let something harm you." He replaced the banjo back in his satchel & placed his shades back over his eyes & held her close as he began to drift asleep.

XxooxX

Shino awoke to a large wet slobbery kiss from Akamaru. He looked up to see Kiba standing in front of them tapping his foot impatiently.

"Shino, don't tell me you forgot about the festival! Kurenai Sensei payed for all of our tickets, remember? So, we're going whether we like it or not!" Kiba glanced at Ukiyokou. "Aw... Looks like you two did some cuddling last night, huh?"

Shino intensified his glare. "Kiba, we would never go that far, much less mention it to each other about such things!"

Kiba took on an insulted look. "Geez, Shino… no need to be angry. I was just joking."

The argument awoke the sleeping honey bee wielder from her sleep. "Shino… Kiba… you're too loud," She moaned while rubbing away the drowse from her eyes.

"Heh! Shino? Loud? Riiiight… Then I guess I wield little parasitic bugs that eat peoples' brains out," Kiba joked, motioning his fingers to resemble an insect.

Both Shino & Ukiyokou shot a look at Kiba in anger.

"He didn't… Please don't tell me he didn't…," Ukiyokou began to ask threateningly.

"He did. And now…," Shino began, calling up his insects. "He's going to know what it's like to endure _his_ retribution!" In a case like this it was quite unnecessary for him to beat up Kiba, but if it was in front of Ukiyokou, Kiba had to learn respect.

Kiba backed away slowly, about ready to mount Akamaru. "Now, Shino, look. We don't have to get physical here! Can't you take a joke? I mean, come on! We're all friends here!"

Shino stepped forward, insects blazing out of each hand. "No one insults me in front of Ukiyokou!" He commanded his insects to restrain Kiba & have him thrown to the ground. After that, Shino walked up to a now shouting Kiba Inuzuka.

"What do you think you're doing Shino? We're on the same team! Hey, aren't we at least friends?" Kiba looked up only to see the harsh glare of his teammate.

"As I have said, no one insults me in front of Ukiyokou. Once you do, any mutual friendship, any kind of acquaintance leaves. Do well to remember that."

"Ok! Shino, I get it! Sorry!" To Kiba's relief, the insects fled back to their master. Kiba stood up, happy that Shino had shown mercy since that was the more aggressive side of the insect tamer he knew. "Well, should we head off now?"

Shino & Ukiyokou nodded & ninja sprinted to the entrance of the festival in the most commercial area of the Leaf.

At the gate they met Kurenai Sensei & Hinata. "About time you three got here! What took you so long?"

"Oh you know the usual… had to round up two love bugs in love," Kiba began to kid.

_I swear! Kiba you will get what's coming to you ._Ukiyokou thought. She looked over t Shino who seemed indifferent on the matter that Kiba was insulting him again, but she knew underneath, her & Shino being together was already being stressed by Gen Aburame himself, that he wasn't going to let Kiba get away with making fun of them.

"W-well... I guess we should go in now," Hinata stated in her hesitant manner.

They entered the festival. Every ninja that wasn't a Anbu Black Ops Member hidden under their masks, every citizen at that, was there to partake in the festivities.

All of a sudden a flurry of grey fabric & pale skin bounded right into Shino. It was Shirei, his adopted cousin. "Man, Shino! You took so long! I thought I had to get Mister High-&-Mighty Leader of The Aburame Clan to find you!" She motioned to Gen, whose back was turned ordering a cup of tea & a to-go box of salad from a vendor.

Shivers went up Shino's spine. He moved silently & sneakily over to Ukiyokou & whispered in her ear.

She nodded subtly & preformed a transformation jutsu while she had the time. Her transformation, of course was of a common everyday girl who had never enrolled into the Academy.

At the sense of a subtle change of Chakra from somewhere nearby, Gen looked up & spun around in case of a hidden enemy ninja.

Ukiyokou acted like everyone else & pretended she had no business with Squad Eight at all.

Gen marched over to them with a questioning glare playing along his usual serious face. "Shino… Where. Were. You," He asked with his teeth gritted in frustration.

Shino remained silent, trying to come up with an excuse.

"With that soon-to-betray-you Kamizuru, I hope not?" He glared fiercely into Shino's eyes, not that anyone could see, since it seemed that, no matter what Shino did, they seemed part of his face.

"When did it become your job to tell me who I am intimate socially with?" Shino gave a questioning tone, mixed in with defiance.

"What," Gen began to shout in rage.

"Uh-oh..." Shirei hid herself away from the now growing quarrel.

"Dad, I'm sixteen. I've gone on 'A' rank missions without you. Even if I am working alongside my fellow teammates, I make my _own_ personal decisions!"

Everyone backed away. It was unlikely that Shino or his father would fight each other, but when it came to Aburame against Aburame, things got ugly.

Gen grabbed his only son, the eventual leader of the Aburame Clan, by the color of his black Aburame jacket. He stared right into Shino's eyes, intensifying his glare enough to burn into any ones but Shino's soul. "You dare speak against me?"

Shino didn't show the fear in his body. It was there, though, & Gen knew it. "Though it may seem that I have no respect for you at the moment, I actually do. But… I can't let you get in the way of my relationship with Ukiyokou. She has been a true friend & teammate. In fact, She saved me from drowning during our last mission. You see, if it weren't for her, I would be as good as dead," Shino stated boldly as he looked in straight the eyes of the devil.

"Shino Aburame! You have just insulted your own clan! If you think you're so grown up, then… Then…" Gen uttered the last words with disappointment, heartbreak, &, above all, sadness. "You are no longer part of this clan." He shoved Shino away. It tore Gen apart to disown his only son, but he couldn't allow his clan to be corrupt with a Kamizuru being a part of it.

He stared back at Shino. "You have… Three days to pack up everything & get out," He stated with sadness penetrating his serious tone. Gen walked away with his back turned to his son.

Shirei looked back at her cousin. She looked down, knowing well that Shino wouldn't be able to talk to her again. Not until he could redeem his family name. "I'm so sorry, Shino," She muttered, then turned around to follow her uncle.

Shino heard the faint crying of his father as the leader of his now former clan left him there. It was distinct & low key, but with the aid of insects, he could hear the sobbing of the serious Gen Aburame.

They wondered around, looking for something to do. "Hey, how about that," Ukiyokou shouted as she pointed to a stand selling Bubble Tea.

"That sounds like a fine idea," Kurenai stated.

They walked over to the stand to place their orders. Ukiyokou ordered a honey maple flavor. Shino had a fruit punch sort of flavor. Hinata ordered passion fruit, & Kiba had a coconut flavor.

As they left they began to sip on their bubble tea. Kiba to a large slurp & what seemed to be tapeoka floated into his mouth. He began to chew it when he noticed something wasn't right.

"Hey! That's not tapeoka! It's glass! Someone put a marble in my tea!"

At this Ukiyokou began to snicker & performed a hand sign to transform something. The marble instantly transformed into tapeoka.

"Ukiyokou," Kiba began.

"I take the words from Shino. Don't insult us while we're together! So it was fair punishment," Ukiyokou explained triumphantly.

"Grrr... Now I know why Naruto dislikes Shino so much! You bug tamers are always so smart & slick," Kiba growled out.

"Yeah & we're skilled to boot," Ukiyokou exclaimed happily giving a triumphant peace sign.

They wondered around, everyone, but Shino, in the team joking happily about the festivities & other kinds of things that they could possibly joke about.

**Wow... Kinda epic. I made sure the ending was happy though because of the fact that some of the other chapters were sad or blunt. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	16. A Father's Memories

**Hi people! W00T! Number… What? Fifteen? Sixteen? Seventeen? I lost track after Fourteen… **

**Well… This one was more or less about Gen Aburame himself. (I meant it to be!) I think I did a pretty well job! Read & enjoy! (Forgive me of my late-ness! It's called school, life, unexpected events… -Someone shouts something random- Yeah… That…) **

Shino & Ukiyokou were all that were left of Squad Eight. It seemed that the others had things they needed to take care of at home so one by one they left. Kurenai had offered Shino to stay at her place, but Shino didn't want to intrude on his Sensei's private business out of respect for her.

"Shino, you can stay at my place if you want. My mom won't mind," Ukiyokou suggested helpfully.

"I shouldn't. It would be rather impolite of me."

"Come on, Shino! You don't want to face your father right now after what happened today, do you?"

Shino shook his head. He wasn't ready to face his father. "I think I'll just head back to the panic room…" He turned to leave.

Ukiyokou grabbed his shoulder. "Shino, I will not let you stay there all alone! Besides… You don't have anyone to take care of you in your time of need."

"'Time of need'? Uki, I'll be fine." He began to struggle out of Ukiyokou's grasp.

"Shino! Please! Don't leave," Ukiyokou cried. "Please!"

Shino sighed & rethought his motives. It was better & more comfortable to stay at Uki's than to sleep in the white boring room with nothing but a Wii to comfort him. He began to consult his insects for advice. _"What should I do?"_

"_What do you feel, Shino?"_ the insects replied.

"_Ukiyokou needs me… but I can't intrude on her," _Shino said, confused.

"_She won't mind, Shino. She wants you to be with her. Go."_

He looked over to Ukiyokou. "It would seem that I'm staying at your place tonight…"

She smiled happily. "Then let's go. My place is this way!"

He followed Ukiyokou towards a stand selling honey to people attending the festival.

"Honey! Honey! Come get your freshly made honey! Only fifty ryo a bottle! One-hundred for a full sized jar," Itoshiihana Kamizuru called out to the mass of people.

Ukiyokou stomped up to her mother. "Mom! Why are you selling honey? Are you trying to embarrass our family?"

She didn't take it to any offense. She just smiled sweetly. "Ukiyokou… How else are we to make money here that won't put us in a lot of danger?"

Ukiyokou shot an annoyed look at Itoshiihana. She sniffed the air & detected a small amount of wine. "You were drinking wine again, weren't you?"

Itoshiihana snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh dear… I guess I need to dispose of it then

if I get this disoriented after one small glass of wine, huh?"

Ukiyokou covered her eyes in exasperation. "Never mind… Hey, can Shino stay at our place?"

Itoshiihana chocked her head questioningly. "What's wrong with his place? I doubt there's nothing wrong with him sleeping at home?"

Ukiyokou scratched the back of her head in guilt. "Well… Funny story there… Shino- he was… well… Kicked out by his dad."

Itoshiihana gasped at what Ukiyokou said. "You're not serious are you?"

"She is… And until we can convince my father that Uki isn't a threat towards the Aburame, I will need a place to stay," Shino interjected.

"I see… You may stay in Ukiyokou's room since that's the only really available room right now. Mine is too full of moving boxes, so only one person can fit inside it."

They nodded & headed inside to the back room where Ukiyokou usually slept.

Shino, now knowing that he could trust Ukiyokou in keeping his inner feelings a secret, basically gawked at the vast collection of dead insects, insect figures, plush insects- bug types from Pokemon-, books on insects that lined every bookshelf in her room- four to be exact-, insect Sonic The Hedgehog character figurines, & above all & most astonishing thing, small wood statues of the Aburame Clan's sacred Kikaichu beetles. "Figures… You're also obsessed over insects like me."

Ukiyokou grinned & rubbed the back of her head. "Well… It's just the insect tamer in me I guess."

Shino glanced over to her easel in the corner. The painting was an unfinished one of him & Ukiyokou holding hands, possibly in hopes of friendship. He walked over & studied it with care & turned back to Ukiyokou. "You painted this?"

Ukiyokou blushed at the picture. "Uh… Yeah… Shino, my uncle was in the other branch, the main one. I looked through the Bingo book & found a picture of you. I wondered what it would be like to meet you I just didn't know when or where or even how. But when we moved to the Hidden Leaf, I was overjoyed & somehow, without me knowing, you were in my new squad." She paused, thinking of other things to say "I kind of painted that when we got to the village out of boredom."

Shino nodded. "I see…" He glanced at the small clock on Ukiyokou's bedroom wall. "We should get some sleep."

At the Aburame estate:

Gen sat on the side of his bed, wondering what to do. Shino was all that was left of his wife. The only thing that kept him from desperately sinking into despair was the boy he had expelled from the Aburame clan.

He flipped through the pages of his photo album. He found one of the earlier ones when he wasn't seen outside of the house wearing his older pair of shades with them partly showing his brown eyes, similar to Shino's, holding an infant Shino Aburame in his arms. It was one of the few where he was seen without the trademark jacket & the ever-so-somber face. Gen looked at it, wishing that things could be right again with his dear son. "Shino…" He spoke shakily, wishing quietly that he could have that loving moment, that one single happy moment with his only son again at least once in his life.

He continued to flip through the family photo album & found a picture of his distant aunt who, since he was little had always believed to be an Aburame. There was something familiar about the way she looked. He dismissed it & continued to turn the pages of the album.

He looked through it some more & found a picture of dearly departed wife, Shiji. He realized it had been years since the incident & the young insect tamer had passed. He remembered it clearly.

"_I'm sorry, sir. She's gone," the doctor reported to a slightly younger Gen Aburame cradling a one year old Shino in his arms. _

_He looked up with grief apparent on his face. "Tell me, what happened," Gen asked keeping the sadness from penetrating his voice._

"_Well, according to the Hokage & the Anbu Black Op's, it happened in the evening…"_

_**She was sleeping soundly in her room, while Gen was on a mission. Shino was sleeping in as crib as an infant, unaware that his family was being targeted. **_

_**At the stroke of midnight, a small gas grenade was tossed through the open window of her room, releasing the toxic chemical which was potent enough to kill both man & insect.**_

_**Her insects aroused her from her sleep warning her of the danger. She covered her nose & mouth to keep from inhaling the gas. Knowing that the gas would spread through the Aburame Estate, she rushed to the nursery & quickly but carefully picked up the future heir to the Aburame Clan. **_

_**Upon the quick movement, Shino awoke & started to cry like most infants did, for he was still a baby & didn't have the mind in the present he was known to have.**_

_**Shiji Aburame revealed a small opening in the nursery floor made in such a way that only an Aburame could get in & it had no openings for gaseous fumes to enter.**_

_**As soon as she had closed the small opening for her child's safety, the toxic fumes had reached the nursery. The window in Shino's room had not yet been placed in, so there was no escape. The gas made her go unconscious upon breathing it in.**_

_**The next morning, Gen's cousin on the other end of the estate awoke to the cry of an infant child, whose voice was muffled under an unknown object. Shichou Aburame walked over to where the more main branch was only to see her cousin's wife laying unconscious, possibly near death.**_

_**She listened closely, & figured out that the crying was coming from under her body, possibly under the floor. She gently moved Shiji aside & opened the hidden space below. **_

_**There, the small child, Shino Aburame, lay there, crying. Shijou picked him up & tried to comfort her nephew while examining Shiji. She sent out insects to later form into an insect clone to the Hokage & the Medical Core to report the tragedy. She then sent insects out to Shibi; Gen's other common name, out to report the same thing.**_

"_I see," Gen replied quietly. He looked down at Shino, who looked back at his father with his dark eyes, knowing well, in his young mind, that the only person that brought him into the world had now passed. _

_Sensing that no one was watching, he gave into his feelings & cried quietly enough for no one to hear._

"Shino… You were so innocent at that age." He let the tears he was holding back stream down his face. "How I miss those days."

He closed the album & headed to bed.

Back at Ukiyokou's place:

Shino stood in front of the easel painting him & the beautiful, now asleep, Ukiyokou & him standing together holding each other in their arms. It was nearly complete & sleep was beginning to overcome Shino's mind.

He put the last touches on the painting & decided that it would be best, it being an extremely warm night, to remove his hood & black jacket leaving the mesh shirt underneath exposed. He rolled the two jackets up in a ball & placed them on the window sill as a makeshift pillow. He crawled onto the sill & fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

**Liked it? I think the part where Gen looks back at his dead wife (I do not know if Shino has a mom or NOT! I think I saw her in the anime & the manga but they don't say anything so I can't say for sure if it's really her… meh…) Is pretty good myself… But don't take my insanely genius (People say I am but we have yet to find out!) word for it! I wanna hear what you all gots to say! Bye! –Teleports using psychic powers- **

**-Teleports back- Forgot my cell phone & don't forget to review this story & the others I have wrote! I mean it! Please? No? XP –Teleports away again-.**


	17. The Eternal Bond between Insect Tamers

**He-he-he… Here's my latest piece of work! It's part song-fic. Due to the fact that you may not plagiarize evar, by law, I must put where I gots the song lyrics! Ain't that fun? ! W00T! I forgot the song's name but it fit's Ukiyokou's & Shino's relationship well. **

**I think it's just great that this was a shorter update than before! And to compensate for shortness of this chapter… I'm going to give a well thought out thanks to the readers who have faved & reviewed this & other stories I have wrote! Ok here goes! ****Mi3Star****, ****FallenAngelFox****, ****Twistergirl14****, ****Invader Blunt**** (An End & A New Beginning… he [or she] only added to story alert… I'm not continuing it, Invader Blunt! It was a one chapter story! One! *scoffs & walks off*), & ****TwiliPrincess049****! (Twili helped by giving me inspiration… didn't add the story to anything. Check out Carpe Diem on her profile. It's a great love/drama Final Fantasy Ten fic.) **

**Phew! That was a mouth full for me! Happy reading to everyone! **

Shino woke up to the sound of Ukiyokou crying. He glanced at the clock & noted well that it was twelve thirty. "What is it Ukiyokou," He asked letting his feelings show in his voice since Uki was the only one up at this hour.

"Shino… The dream…," She stuttered, shaken by it.

"Shh… Ukiyokou, quiet yourself. I promise on my own being & on the Kikaichu within me, that I will protect you," Shino said reassuringly. He was lucky Kiba wasn't around, or there would be the possibility of Squad Eight missing a dog training ninja.

"Bu-but… Shino, what about you? Are you sure that you're ok with this?"

"I live by a rule that once also pertained to me. I had said it once to Kankuro who nearly beat me, & killed me. Luckily, my father came & relieved me of the poison that was causing havoc within my body. It went like this: 'I am a member of the Leaf Village's Aburame Clan! No matter how puny a bug our opponent is, we don't mock them; we face them at full strength!' Though my father has disowned me as his son, I still take it to heart," Shino stated accurately.

"Shino, you could die protecting-"

"I won't. I promise you." He walked over to Ukiyokou & pulled her into a close hug. "I will keep you safe. Don't worry about me, Ukiyokou."

_Let me be your hero_

Ukiyokou looked up at Shino who had recently removed his shades. She wondered if he would be able to protect her.

_Would you dance, if I asked you to dance?  
Would you run, and never look back?  
Would you cry, if you saw me crying?  
And would you save my soul, tonight?_

To tell you the truth, Shino was wondering how exactly himself. He'd have to fight whatever would threaten Ukiyokou. Their destinies were now twined together, even if it meant his death. He had to keep Ukiyokou from getting hurt while keeping himself alive, too.

_Would you tremble, if I touched your lips?  
Would you laugh? Oh please tell me this  
Now would you die, for the one you love?  
Hold me in your arms, tonight_

They held on to each other as if they were going to be torn apart by something unseen at any moment.

Shino realized he had only laughed twice in his life, which meant he was missing the joy of having someone like Ukiyokou. Meanwhile Uki found that she was very much afraid that Shino was going to die, & she was afraid of him remaining the way he did in the dream after the fight.

Uki had a sudden vision of Shino taking a full blow of an attack, saving his precious treasure that happened to be her.

_I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away_

Shino knew that this anguish Ukiyokou was feeling could only be eased if he cared for her. In this realization he held her closer & spoke softly into her ear. "Ukiyokou, there is no need to worry. If we plan out a strategy no one will end up dead. Not me, not anyone."

_Would you swear, that you'll always be mine?  
Or would you lie? Would you run and hide?  
Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?  
I don't care you're here, tonight  
_

Ukiyokou was having her doubts. She wondered if what they were up against could be stopped by even Shino. But, she couldn't lose him. She wondered if they would stay alive & she looked into Shino's eyes & found a sense of peace through how certain he was. Whatever plan he had in his elaborate mind would work.

_I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away  
_

Shino felt that his plan would work, but he knew of Ukiyokou's doubts. He pressed his lips against hers, showing her that he wasn't scared of anything, as long as she was around. He had gotten use to the feeling of love by now. He pulled away gently & looked into Ukiyokou's eyes. "Never will I leave you."

_Oh, I just wanna hold you  
I just wanna hold you, oh yeah  
Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?  
Well I don't care you're here, tonight_

Ukiyokou began to wonder if she was sane. Shino, showing that much affection? But then again, he was beginning to warm up to her. Not only that, this was the Shino Aburame that nobody knew. Not Naruto, not Kiba, not Hinata, not even Kurenai Sensei knew her best student was at all this sweet. She was happy he was there & nobody could change the way they felt about each other.

_I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain, oh yeah  
I will stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away_

Like the honey bees in Ukiyokou & the Kikaichu within Shino, they had a never ending bond. Even if they were physically apart, their bond couldn't be broken.

_I can be your hero, I can kiss away the pain  
(I can be your hero, baby)  
And I will stand by you, forever  
You can take my breath away  
You can take my breath away  
An' I can be your hero_

Shino & Ukiyokou held each other for a while.

After few minutes Ukiyokou noticed that Shino was no longer awake, for most of his weight was on  
Ukiyokou by sheer accident. "Shino?"

Shino came to at the mentioning of his name. "Hmm? Oh, sorry about that." He moved from the embrace. He looked over to Ukiyokou. "Get some sleep."

Ukiyokou nodded & went back to her bed.

Shino climbed back onto the sill & rested his head against his makeshift pillow. He looked outside, his eyelids heavy from the lack of sleep. _Full moon out tonight…_ A song came to his head, a classic piece. He hummed the song of Moonlight Sonata, thinking of what it would be like to dance outside Ukiyokou while everyone was asleep. _Don't let yourself be carried away by this too much, Shino. If you do, you'll lose the seriousness that you have always had. _Humming the tune of Beethoven's most known masterpiece, Shino gave into to his body's demands for sleep.

**Wow… Romantic! Again thank you people I mentioned at the top of this shorter chapter! But I promise you all! Next few may have action! W00T! And drama… can't have an action filled Naruto story without drama! Review! All of you who haven't! Please! Please, please, please! Review! **


	18. Saving a Stolen Treasure

**Another grand chapter made by yours truly! I really hope you all like it! For those of you who don't ever review & don't live in America, it is Veteran's day eastern American standard time tomorrow! W00T! No school for me! Yay! **

**This one has action I assure you. **

**Random quote: "You should say what you mean."~ Auron ( the jacked up version of him from Kingdom Hearts! And this ain't as random as you think! My little brother stutters all the time & I cannot take it! It makes his sentences long & annoyiiinnnggg! Ugh!)**

Shino awoke to a small yelp. He opened his eyes & looked quickly to Ukiyokou's bed, which was now vacant of her presence. He looked over & noticed a figure holding on to his precious Ukiyokou by the neck. He got up & whipped out a kunai knife from his weapon holster which was still strapped to his thigh.

The figure chuckled sinisterly. "It's no use… Give up on her, Shino Aburame!" He vanished afterwards.

Shino sent out an array of scouting insects to search for the evil doer. Though he would have usually waited, there wasn't any time to do so. Uki would end up dead if he did.

He put back on his shades & his two jackets. He opened the window & sprinted towards the twilight, looking for the man who had dared to take Ukiyokou.

* * *

Later that morning…

The scent of eggs, bacon, & pancakes wafted through the house.

"Shino, Ukiyokou! Breakfast is ready!" Itoshiihana waited a few minutes for Ukiyokou & Shino to respond. Nothing.

"You guys better not be doing something I need to know about. I was a child, too, you know," she said as she walked to the back of the house.

When she looked into Ukiyokou's room she found that both were missing. _Shino is polite enough to know to tell someone first before running off like that. _She looked around the house. No one in sight. Itoshiihana began to panic. Shino & Ukiyokou were both missing completely.

She ran out into the street yelling for them. Amidst her yelling a familiar hand tapped her shoulder. She reeled around to see Gen Aburame standing there with concern completely evident on his face. "Where's Shino?"

"I-I… I don't know. My daughter is missing too!"

At Itoshiihana's statement; Gen quirked an eyebrow. "Well then… let us put aside our differences for now. There is no point on arguing about our clan's likes & dislikes when we both could be looking for our children," Gen stated in a resolving tone, similar to Shino's.

"Right," Itoshiihana answered.

They ninja sprinted off in search of Shino & Ukiyokou, following a swarm of both bee & beetle.

* * *

Shino followed his insects to a clearing. The sight he saw worried him greatly. Ukiyokou was being held against her will & her abductor was placing a Kunai near her throat. Her abductor was Kamizuru, like his opponent in Uki's dream.

"You are persistent, Aburame trash. No matter… at midnight tonight she'll be long gone." The devious Kamizuru member chuckled sinisterly.

"Shino run! He'll kill you! Kokuzoku Kamizuru is extremely dangerous! Leave now," Ukiyokou warned.

Shino glared fiercely at the man. "Let her be. What has she done that is just of her death? She's done nothing wrong so far."

"Fu, fu, fu… You don't get it, do you? She has betrayed her clan. She would be dead by now if my wife, Itoshiihana hadn't fled from village to village in fear of me." He looked over to his "daughter" & placed the kunai's blade on her neck without cutting her. "I would kill her… but… I could take care of the source of the problem now." He hesitated. "I could kill you both!" At those words he threw the kunai knife in his hand at Shino.

Ukiyokou's eyes widened. "No! Shino," She yelled as the kunai knife had hit him directly in the chest. He seemed to stumble backwards, then, in an instant, disperse into thousands of beetles.

The insects returned to their master who dropped down from the tree branch right above where his insect clone was standing. "It appears that you do not know how to fight," Shino stated wryly.

Kokuzoku smirked at the statement. _Heh! That fool doesn't know about the disease on the kunai knife I had thrown at him. The insects inside that novice of a ninja are susceptible to it just like their master._

Shino drew up his insects & ordered them to attack. They advanced on Kokuzoku but all of a sudden turned to Ukiyokou & began to attack her instead. Shino recalled all of them at once wondering what the problem is with his lifelong comrades. In the midst of his pondering his mind went blank.

Ukiyokou saw Shino turn to her with anger & unreasonable rage on his face. He lunged at her & began to punch her with more strength than what she had ever felt. She let out a cry of anguish & pleaded with Shino to come to his senses.

Kokuzoku watched with enjoyment seeing his "daughter" being beat up by Shino, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He looked over just enough to be punched in the face by Gen Aburame. The ruthless man fell, unconscious from Gen's blow. Gen looked over to the commotion & began to pull his son away from Ukiyokou.

As Gen tried to reason with Shino, Shino reeled around & punched his father directly in the nose giving the head of the Aburame Clan a serious injury.

That wasn't enough to stop Shino from his unconscious rage. He went back to punching Ukiyokou over & over again.

Itoshiihana cut the rope binding Ukiyokou the tree. "Ukiyokou," She yelled immediately afterwards. "Get out of here! If you want to live you have to leave."

Shino paused, hearing Itoshiihana. He stopped punching Ukiyokou & ran around looking for her mother. Though he was unconscious, he still used his insects. They came after Itoshiihana, who was drained just enough for her to faint.

Just as most of the damage had been done, Ukiyokou ran to Shino & threw her arms around his waist. "Shino! Stop! Don't do this! Please, don't hurt anyone else. Please," Ukiyokou began to plead.

Shino froze completely at that. _Uki…? Is Uki… crying?_

"I know you're inflicted with the pathogen & you can't control yourself, but please… don't hurt anyone else, Shino?"

Shino finally woke up. He looked over to Ukiyokou & saw the wounds the pathogen had caused him to inflict on Itoshiihana, his father & Ukiyokou. He looked over his shoulder, worry evident on his face. "Ukiyokou… I'm sorry I caused you so much harm."

"Sh-Shino…"

All of a sudden Gen shouted, "Shino, Ukiyokou! Watch out!"

Kokuzoku jumped up behind Ukiyokou & aimed a sharp menacing spike at her back. Just as he threw it Shino jumped up & reappeared right in front of Ukiyokou just in time to receive the attack. It hit him right in the center of his body. He sent out insects at the last minute to attack Kokuzoku. They encased the villain sucking him of his chakra.

**Woah... Cliffie for dramatic affect! You guys should like it! I kind of got the idea about the tragic parts from the inspiration my new reader, TallestHalo, had given me from giving a lovely review on "An End & A New Beginning". I was truly inspired. I do not know if that person reads this or not, but if you look them up message them for me! Tell them thanks for me. I'm far to busy to right now!**

**Please, for me, review! I enjoy getting feedback from fans. Hey, aren't you wondering what's going to happen now? Are you? If not, then, your loss!**


	19. Love & Blood: The Hearts of Lovers

**Hellooooo! Hello. Hello there. Hello person. HELLO PPL OF THIS EARTH! O.o Sorry… those were my Yuni Shadow clones… They are odd… I need to work on them a little more. Like dude… do you know how many times I wrote "hello", not counting that one? Five! That's how bad ma memory is! (No not really…) **

**Now on to the story. Bu89t53yioc3 (pay no attention to that… *chases after a shadow clone* Get back here![wait it looks like it was trying to type: "But you see…"]) Read it! Read it & re- *feels a water bottle on my head* view… *stabs Shadow Clone with ma pen & it goes "poof!"**

Later that day, Shino & Ukiyokou lied in separate hospital beds in the same room. Ukiyokou looked over to Shino who showed no signs of moving, yet she could tell by the constant steam in the oxygen mask over his mouth that he was still alive. She was barely harmed except for a sprained bone or a torn muscle here & there.

Gen Aburame & Itoshiihana Kamizuru, walked in the room, both in hospital clothes, to check on Shino & Ukiyokou.

"Ukiyokou, you're up!" Itoshii ran to her daughter's bedside. "Are you ok, Ukiyokou? Does it hurt?"

Ukiyokou looked over to her mother. "There is no pain as long as Shino's around."

Itoshii smiled at her daughter. "You must love him a lot, huh?"

"Yeah. He's been a true friend to me. Nobody sees him as the person I see him." She glanced over to Gen who was watching over Shino like a sentinel.

Gen looked down at the bandage covering Shino's wound. He held Shino's hand in hopes that he would survive. _Please don't leave like your mother did, Shino. In fact… just stay alive! _He lowered his head & silently sobbed in the way only Gen knew how to do.

"Dad…," said a raspy reedy voice everyone knew.

Gen looked up, his glasses fogged from his tears. "Shino, thank goodness…"

"Dad, I'm sorry," Shino tried to say.

"Shino, Shh… It was my fault to begin with, Shino. I should have accepted your relationship with Ukiyokou before any of this happened. I just wish it hadn't happened like this." Gen ran his hands through his son's coarse brown hair.

Shino raised an eyebrow at his father's statement. "You're willing to accept the fact I'm in love with a member from the clan that we went up against during the 'Great Wars'?"

"Yes, Shino." Gen remembered the love Ukiyokou showed when Shino was infected with Kokuzoku's disease.

_Ukiyokou ran to Shino & threw her arms around his waist. "Shino! Stop! Don't do this! Please, don't hurt anyone else. Please," Ukiyokou began to plead. "I know you're inflicted with the pathogen & you can't control yourself, but please… don't hurt anyone else, Shino?"_

"Ukiyokou's love for you saved everyone," Tsunade announced as she walked in the room. "But that's not to say that Shino didn't do his part." Tsunade looked over to Shino who turned his head a little to show he was listening to the Hokage.

"Kokuzoku has been in the Leaf's list of threats for a few years now. He's very secretive & is known to be a more dangerous version of Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sanin. He finally settled down when it came to activity & married Itoshiihana Kamizuru who opted to keep her last name. When she found out about her husband's ruthlessness, she fled from him, causing him to stir even more trouble. He was never infused with the special honey bee the Kamizuru clan is known for so he had no way of trying to defend himself. He would have, if you all had let him live after the fight, tried to destroy the village using special summoning animals." She paused for a breather. "Shino was the one to initially kill him."

Ukiyokou glanced over to Shino who showed no evidence of happiness, but she knew that the more hidden version was possibly fighting with the form he was showing now & pleading with him to smile.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade," Shino said in a rather raspy voice. "But… Itoshii, didn't you say your husband died?"

"Ah, yes, that's true, but the man you faced wasn't my original husband. Ukiyokou's dad died when she was a baby. He had gone on a mission to help some farmers in the region & he never came back. It was said that some ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village had killed him. I had tried to steer clear of any romance for a while. I met Kokuzoku & thought he was nice then I realized it was all a trick." Itoshiihana looked down in regret.

"Well… in any case, you're all alive. I just hope you two rivals can get along," Tsunade joked.

"Your comment is unnecessary. We are getting along just fine," Gen stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah. We had our disagreements but through the ordeal we've been through, we can now live in peace with one another." Itoshii smiled at Gen who only stared back with his usual somber face.

"Good to hear," Tsunade stated as she left.

"We better get back to our rooms," Gen told Itoshii in his usual serious manner.

"Right then, Master Gen," Itoshii mused.

Ukiyokou could've sworn she heard Gen emit a small chuckle from the "pride of the Aburame clan" as he was known. She looked over to Shino who also was staring in her direction.

Shino smiled at her. "Well, Ukiyokou, we did it." He turned his focus to the ceiling clearing his mind of all worries. He thought of how things had been, how he was disowned by his father, & with this he began to wonder if his dad would accept him again. He needed Gen to say that he was, even though he showed it.

Ukiyokou began to ponder. _What will happen now? Will Gen accept Shino back into the clan? Will I be looked upon by the leader of the Aburame as some heathen who wishes to destroy it? No… That was my step-father's title, not mine. I'm not at all like him in any way._ She glanced at Shino who was thinking also. _Shino… You're the only person I know who hasn't looked at me like a failure. _

To Ukiyokou, Shino looked calm & quiet. He looked so certain, yet he wondered around his thoughts, trying to peace it all together. The calm silence he gave off came to a screeching halt at the sound of a cough. She jerked her head in horror at Shino who was now coughing up a mixture of blood & dead Kikaichu.

He reached quickly to pull the red rope beside his bed & gave it a hard tug setting off possibly a series of alarms somewhere in the Leaf Hospital.

"Shino," Ukiyokou gasped as he tore off his oxygen mask & continued to cough up more blood.

A hoard of doctors & nurses came into their room & began running a series of emergency procedures to get Shino to stop coughing.

Eventually he did. Ukiyokou pleaded with the doctors to explain what had actually happened. No one answered, for they were too busy trying to reason with Shino to put the mask back on, who complied in a matter of seconds after regaining control over his body. They left after a short while.

"Too many dead insects… they caused… one of my arteries… to be blocked… causing me to… cough up blood… That's why… you saw what you saw," Shino explained trying to recover from the recent trauma.

Ukiyokou knew why there were so much dead Kikaichu. The disease he had been inflicted with during the fight was taking its toll on the main hosts of the current disease. Shino got the better part of it, the less deadly part. "Well at least it wasn't life threatening." Ukiyokou sighed.

After about a week of healing jutsu, two days of physical therapy, & a physical exam, Ukiyokou & Shino were permitted to leave the hospital.

Ukiyokou walked side by side with Shino, wandering what to say. She & her mom were to go on a mission soon, so she needed to tell Shino. She noticed Gen walking up to them & paused, putting her hands into a hand sign in order to use her teleportation jutsu.

"You need not to fear. I'm not here to yell at anyone, I'm here to apologize. I'm sorry for being so stubborn. Some of my anger came out of jealousy for Shino, because of my wife's death. Part of it came off of the fact that the Kamizuru- the ones that are still around- has been after the Aburame Clan for years. I also have something to give & tell Shino."

Shino looked at his father, with a sense of hopefulness on his face.

"Shino, you are now welcome back in the clan." Gen rummaged through his pockets & withdrew a small statue of a Kikaichu. "I made this for your mother a while back but…" He handed it over to Shino who accepted it with an outstretched hand. Gen looked over to Ukiyokou who tensed at his gaze. He walked up to Ukiyokou & placed a hand on her left shoulder. "Shino is lucky to have you for a comrade & friend. I could tell from the way you showed your love by awakening Shino during his mindless rage. No fear showed in your eyes. None. Take care of him & your own well being as well."

Ukiyokou smiled at Gen who returned a small smirk back at her in trust. He turned & walked away from the two murmuring something incoherent.

Shino picked it up using the Kikaichu's keen senses. _"Be strong, you two. Don't let your love be smoldered by anything at all."_ Shino looked over to Ukiyokou with glasses fogged. His joy to be back in the family couldn't be greater.

Ukiyokou rapped her arms around Shino's shoulders. "It must be such a relief. Your dad isn't heartless. I know that much, Shino. He couldn't reject you."

Shino nodded in agreement. "Ukiyokou, let's go," Shino said keeping his voice from wavering out of place.

Ukiyokou looked up at Shino. "Where, Shino?"

He looked down at her with his serious gaze. "The training grounds. We can stay out there for the night, since this may be your last night in the village…"

"B-but how did you-?" Ukiyokou stammered.

"I overheard my father & Itoshiihana using my insects. You're going to train with your mom to get stronger. You probably wanted to tell me all along, yes?"

Ukiyokou nodded. It was true. Her & her mom were going to train away from the village. They were going to hone their abilities.

They ninja sprinted alongside each other to the training grounds. They sat by the water in silence under the full moon's aura for a few minutes.

Ukiyokou pulled out her small plush beetle. She ran her fingers down its soft fur.

Shino looked over to her & began to explain the history on how that small insect plush came into being. "I was three at the time when I recognized my love for the small toy. I couldn't remember why, but I liked it very much so. When I turned five, I was told my father that the small plush was made out of the fur of a dog that had died on a mission that belonged to the Inuzuka Clan. He mentioned that the leader had known the leader of my clan for quite some time & knew about me since I was about one & half. That's why the fabric is so soft."

Ukiyokou widened her eyes. She was rubbing the fur of a dead dog over fourteen years of age. But she was certain that the fur had been steamed & washed so she didn't fret.

Shino looked over to Ukiyokou. He smiled at her.

Ukiyokou looked over & smiled back. She lowered his collar & leaned in to kiss him.

Shino's face became a little pink from the fact that she was doing this in the open. Anyone could see them. But he remembered his father's words. He kissed her with a burning passion he could now call love.

She pulled away from him. "How will you manage, Shino? I know you will miss me very much, but do you think you'll survive?"

"Well… I can't say for sure. In time, we will see what happens. But know this, Uki, our bond can never be broken. We may grow apart due to training & war but the bond of friendship can never be severed."

"Thanks Shino." She began to lean against Shino, who too was beginning to feel his own mind & body beg for sleep.

Soon Ukiyokou's weight had forced them both, unconsciously, to cause her to lie on top of Shino, resting her head on his chest. Ukiyokou felt the beating of his heart, his breathing, & the faint scurrying of Kikaichu inside of his body. It wasn't long till her breathing began to synchronize with his putting her to sleep.

**You people better have liked this! I used the time I was supposed to use for a project on this! XP Anyway… Sorry about the crude moment with blood & Kikaichu. It was to show how deadly the disease could be. To clear it up, Shino nearly ruptured an artery… It's called a Kikaichu clot! I know… Gross….**

**Well… This was going to be my last chapter buuuuttttt… No… Gots to have the epilogue! Then you get the non-chapter or story related finale Author's note! W00T! XP **


	20. Epilogue

****

Hey there! This is tha Epilogue! W00T! I loves the fact that this is over, yet I wish I could add more! Ah… Romance!

They awoke to the rays of the sun, both of them rousing to the feeling of insects moving at the warmth of the very thing that provided heat & energy to all things on the planet.

Ukiyokou yawned, wishing her honey bees would go back to sleep so she could sleep some more. She tried to bury her head into her "pillow" when she heard Shino groan.

"Ukiyokou, you're crushing my chest when you do that," Shino warned, lowering his eyebrows even more.

Ukiyokou widened her eyes, realizing she was hurting her love. She lifted herself off of Shino & brushed herself off. "Sorry, Shino."

Itoshiihana jumped out of the bushes along with Gen Aburame. "Having fun, you two?"

Shino stood & nodded at Itoshiihana's question. "Well… If you like your rib cage being crushed by Ukiyokou, then yes," Shino jested.

Ukiyokou nudged his side with her elbow. "Shino, I said I was sorry!"

Itoshiihana giggled at her daughter's response, while both Gen & Shino smirked in amusement.

"Well, Ukiyokou, time to head off," Itoshiihana announced.

Ukiyokou looked down sadly.

"Dear, you'll see Shino again."

"Yeah. In a few years, Mom."

Itoshiihana pulled Ukiyokou into an embrace. "I know. It's tough. But I'm certain you two will meet again!"

Ukiyokou nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. She turned to Shino & threw her arms around him. "Don't forget me."

Shino returned the hug. "I will never forget. You shouldn't either. The reason is that we are a team as in relationship & camaraderie. If neither of us do our part as a team then, the team itself collapses."

She giggled sadly, knowing that the wisdom he had just gave her using his "Weird way of talking" as some say, was possibly the last time in a long time she would hear it. "I know." She pulled away. "Well, Shino, guess this is farewell for now," Ukiyokou said trying to remain positive, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Farewell," Shino said, forlornly as they turned & sprinted away.

"Farewell, my sweet flower..."

* * *

Shino had grown an inch taller & was sort of beginning to look like his father. His hair had become coarser over the years & his skin was a little darker. His face, minus a small amount of facial hair, had not changed much in the past six years, along with his usual personality. He had a light beige coat on now & carried a smaller gourd than his father's on his back. His glasses were more oval but they obscured his eyes still, leaving everyone else reeling about Shino's eyes.

The carnival had arrived & was set up in the least used training areas of the Leaf Village. Shino was there with his former childhood ninja team. Hinata had become a _little_ more confident in her abilities, Kiba had gotten more "Intense" than he was six years ago, but was still an argumentative mutt of a ninja, & Kurenai, possibly feeling old since her students were now basically adults, has had her child & he was now around five trailing after his mother. They met up near the Ferris wheel.

"Sure has been a while, huh? I remember when you guys were genin," Kurenai stated in her memorabilia.

"Yes I guess it has," Hinata said in a slightly less shy voice.

"Yeah! I was kickin' but with Akamaru at my side, Hinata was training to impress Naruto, & Shino bossed everyone around while creeping everyone out with his insects at the same time," Kiba announced like he was known to do.

"If I remember correctly, it was your foolishness that caused me to be that bossy. Besides, when I was leading the team, I had everyone's best interest at heart. If you didn't do what I said, it would cost you something, like avoiding certain fruit that are dangerous, such as the one that can grow up to the size of a human," Shino stated in his usual syntax form.

"He-he, yeah, Naruto sure was happy to eat that giant fruit that you told everyone _not_ to eat. He must've thought to do the opposite of what ever you said, Shino!" Kiba grinned at his teammate.

Shino nodded. "Yes, that was in the past but-"

"Honey! Honey! Come get your pure fresh honey! Made exactly today," A familiar voice yelled.

_That voice… It's familiar… _He looked over to a honey stand near the Ferris wheel. He saw a girl with dark chocolate hair, honey brown eyes, & a smile that could warm the people she knew.

Kiba grabbed onto Shino's shoulder. "Shino! Hey, snap out of it!" He began to shake him when Shino moved out of his grip & walked over to the stand.

Because no one was there, he walked up & began to speak with her immediately. "Hello, I have something I need you to look at, an item you may recognize."

She looked at Shino questioningly. "Uh… have we met before?" She reached back to grab a kunai knife out of her holster, just in case.

Shino rummaged through his pockets on his jacket & found the Bee-drill on him. He took it out & handed it to her.

She gasped & took the Bee-drill from him. "Bee-drill… but only my love, Shino, had this. How did you get this? Wait- you're an Aburame!" She took out a plush beetle from her backpack. "Do you recognize this?"

"Six years ago… Uki?"

"Sh-Shino?" She reached up & took off his shades. She stared into his ultimately dark brown soft eyes. "Shino… you've changed so much, yet you remain… Shino." She ran her hand through Shino's coarse hair.

"The sweet flower can wither away but the memory of the sent & beauty of it can never be erased," Shino stated in a serious manner. He stared down for a small bit. "Later we should meet at my house. It would be more ideal."

"Right then," Ukiyokou replied. "But I could send a bee off to my mom &-" Ukiyokou began, suggesting that she could walk with them around the carnival.

"Or make a honey clone to sell the honey for you," Shino suggested as he took his shades back & placed them back on his face.

Ukiyokou smiled & prepared a honey clone to watch the stand. "Shino, what would the village do with out you?"

Shino & Ukiyokou decided to go on a variety of rides but there was one ride she was terrified of. The "Diamond Head" which was a high spinning ride that went upside down at some points. Ukiyokou began to tremble. "Shino, I don't think I can- I don't like- I have a fear of going upside down high above ground."

"Don't worry." He grabbed hold of her hand. "I'm here, Uki."

They ventured onto the ride, paying four tickets, two for each. As the ride began Ukiyokou clung to Shino who looked unstirred throughout the ride. When they got off Shino looked into her eyes.

"Ukiyokou. Never be afraid."

She looked up at Shino & smiled sweetly. "Thank you Shino."

* * *

They walked up to the Aburame estate. Gen walked out, his hair darker due to his age. He raised an eye brow at Ukiyokou. "A Kamizuru clan member again? Hmm… It would seem it's Romeo & Juliet all over again."

"Dad, Ukiyokou has returned from her training." Shino looked over to Ukiyokou who smiled. Shino smiled back under his beige collar. "May she stay the night?"

"Yes, she may. Welcome back, Ukiyokou. The Aburame will have your support always," Gen announced as if nothing between them had happened.

They walked inside & headed to Shino's room.

"Sleep on the sill. It's built as an extra bed." Shino moved aside his sheets on his singular bed.

"Alright. Thanks Shino." She crawled on the sill as Shino ordered his insects to give her a sheet & pillow.

They returned to their master whispering to him, _"Good luck, Shino…"_ He lied still in his bed, letting his body have its way with his consciousness.

The insects roused Shino from his sleep around twelve a.m. _"Time to put your plan into action, don't you think, master?"_

"_True. Well then… let's go."_ He went down stairs & began to instruct his insects on the task he had informed them earlier on.

They went to the cupboard & opened it, then swarming into one of the cups & took out a diamond that Shino had received as a thank you gift from a trapped miner on one of his missions four years ago.

He had the ring with the holder already attached to it. He just needed to put the diamond in. He placed it in & carefully rapped the metal around it so it wouldn't escape. He instructed the insects to go into his room & find the ring box that his father had used when he had proposed to his mother, which so happened to be under his bed.

The insects followed their friend/ master's/ host's/ hive's orders & went on their way. They brought back a beautiful grey case, with a dark brown mini-cushion inside meant to hold a ring.

Shino placed the delicate ring inside & closed it, taking it from his insects' grasp & placed it in his pocket. He ordered them to return to them & so they followed his orders.

They whispered,_ "Master, you know as well as us, that you & Ukiyokou's future is certain."_

"_Maybe, but we will just have to wait until tomorrow."_ Shino went to his room & fell asleep almost instantly; possibly from how tired his insects were at the time.

* * *

The next morning they woke up & prepared breakfast for themselves. They munched on their rice in silence.

Shino broke the silence with an announcement. "We're going somewhere special today, Ukiyokou."

Ukiyokou looked up. "Where," She asked her loved one curiously.

"Well… you'll have to find out for yourself." He looked over to her & combed through her hair with is right hand. _…Still as soft & silky as it was six years ago. _He felt a slight chill go down his back. _I wonder what she will say…_ "But I can assure you, there won't be any doubt that you will be amazed."

She giggled & kissed Shino on the cheek. "Shino, I love you."

"That goes without saying." He smirked at her under his collar.

Not long after they finished their breakfast they left. Shino had his insects turn into a blind fold & covered her eyes with it. She was guided by only her honeybees' senses, Shino's grip on her hand, & Shino's voice.

Shino had brought her up the Hokage cliff & they had gone past the spot where they saw the mating ritual of the rare butterfly like creature. They were now in the middle of another clearing. Shino asked his insects to return & the reformed back to their original shape & returned to him.

She gasped at the sight of vast blooming flowers & lush green grass. The clearing she viewed had a glistening rock in the middle of it. The trees canopied over it like a mesh roof, streaming in small amounts of sunlight, adding to the effect to what was about to happen.

"Ukiyokou, I suggest you sit on the rock right there. I have something I need to ask you." Shino was getting nervous at the upcoming event. He could feel the words caught in his throat.

Ukiyokou sat, waiting for what Shino had to ask.

For the first time in his life, he seemed immobile. His legs had turned to lead, his mouth was dry, & he couldn't remember what to say to Ukiyokou or what to do.

The Kikaichu felt their master seize & they aided him, moving his arms & legs for him with there own bodies. They forced their extremely nervous host into a kneeling stance in front of Ukiyokou who sat on the rock in the center of the clearing. _"The rest is up to you, Shino."_

Ukiyokou quirked an eyebrow at him, beginning to guess what he was about to say.

He reached into his pocket with a shaky hand & rapped his fingers around the box he had prepared the night before. He brought out the box, hearing his insects chant over & over to remind him what to say.

"_Will. You. Marry. Me? Four simple words, Shino. Say them," _they all said in unison.

"U-Ukiyokou…," he stammered as he opened the box revealing a beautiful diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

"Well…," Ukiyokou began in a pondering tone.

Shino's heart began to sink. He feared the answer. _Please! Ukiyokou…don't push me away._

"I would love to, Shino!" She smiled brightly & took the ring from the box & slipped it on her ring finger. "Oh… Shino, it's beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

"My father had given me that last year, the ring portion of it, anyway. He said the stone in it was glass & I could throw it away if I wanted to. He knew that I had plans to marry you. I put it together last night with a gem I had gotten as a gift for saving a trapped miner on a mission a few years ago."

"I love it. I love you. Thank you."

They kissed knowing that they would be together for ever more.

**Lookit! It's ovar! D: Nuu! Y.Y Well it ended pretty good don't chu think? Hate to break it to you, though, you have my rambling nonsense to read later. Joy… for you! ^^ btw the ppl who read this & review are awesome! I think they deserve some props!**

**Nu more cross country for me! I don't have to go anymore! ^^ My mind & body is saying, "Thank you! We luv you so much, Yuni!" I'm going, "You're welcome! Have a good day or night or what ever! Twilight (not the stupid book with sparkly vampires… XP) it's the only compromise. I'll call what ever time it is twilight on here k? k. **


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